Pistons win 4th straight in 111-91 rout of Portland

DETROIT (AP) – Andre Drummond had 17 points and 17 rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-91 on Monday night for their fourth straight victory.

Detroit has won three in a row with Blake Griffin in the lineup after acquiring him in a trade last week. The victory Monday pulled the Pistons back to .500 and even with Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Griffin had 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and did a good bit of his offensive damage from the perimeter, making three 3-pointers. Anthony Tolliver added 15 points for Detroit, and Reggie Bullock and Langston Galloway contributed 13 apiece.

Damian Lillard scored 20 points and C.J. McCollum added 14 for the Blazers, who lost again after falling at the buzzer at Boston on Sunday. Portland was without Evan Turner on Monday because of a left calf injury.

Detroit led by 13 in the second quarter and was up 49-43 at halftime. The Pistons pushed the lead to double digits again in the third. A 9-0 run capped by Luke Kennard’s 3-pointer made it 75-57.

Detroit was never seriously threatened in the fourth, and the game ended with several seldom-used reserves on the court.

TIP-INS

Trail Blazers: Lillard is six points shy of Jerome Kersey for fifth place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

Pistons: Dwight Buycks (illness) missed the game. … Detroit has won five in a row against Portland. The teams meet again March 17 at Portland.

PULLING EVEN

Drummond now has 266 double-doubles since entering the NBA in 2012-13. He’s tied with DeMarcus Cousins for the most in that span.

UP NEXT

Trail Blazers: Host the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night.

Pistons: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

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