NBA: Jazz continue winning tune over Pistons
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots on Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin (23) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points and the visiting Utah Jazz continued their dominance over the Detroit Pistons with a 96-86 victory on Sunday.
The Jazz never trailed while collecting their ninth consecutive victory over Detroit, a streak that began during the 2016-17 season.
Mike Conley had 22 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson contributed 18 points off the bench for Utah. Rudy Gobert grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked four shots.
Jerami Grant’s 28 points led the Pistons. Reserve Saddiq Bey tossed in 12 points, and Blake Griffin added 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.
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Pistons sixth man Derrick Rose missed the game due to left knee soreness.
The Jazz held a 57-40 lead at halftime.
Mitchell scored 13 first-quarter points as Utah raced to a 34-19 lead.
The Jazz scored the first nine points of the game and also went on a 17-0 run later in the quarter to go ahead 32-12.
Utah maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second quarter. Mitchell and Conley combined for 28 first-half points as their team shot 52.2 percent from the field.
Grant was the main source of offense for Detroit. He scored 15 points but the Pistons were held to 32.6 percent shooting.
Conley opened the second half with a reverse layup. That 19-point lead shrunk to six points by the end of the quarter.
Grant was primarily responsible for the comeback with 11 points and three assists in the third. Detroit finished the quarter with eight unanswered points to cut Utah’s lead to 74-68.
Conley hit a 3-pointer to halt the Pistons’ spurt. Wayne Ellington soon fired in a 3-pointer to pull Detroit within 78-73 with 9:18 to play
Utah answered with a 7-1 spurt, including five Mitchell points, to push its lead to 11.
The Pistons wouldn’t go away. Ellington’s 3-pointer with under two minutes left closed the gap to 91-86. Free throws by Conley and Mitchell put the game out of reach.
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