AUBURN HILLS – Maybe it was as easy as better 3-point shooting all this while.
The Pistons have had a lot going on over the last nine games – getting Andre Drummond back and at his absolute best from concussion protocol; welcoming the reawakening of Reggie Jackson as he gets farther removed from the two serious leg injuries of the past two seasons; making two trades that shipped out two of their top eight players, Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson, for two less certain rotation staples.
Less noticed, perhaps, has been the spike in their 3-point shooting and its effect on their offensive efficiency and its spillover effect on their defense.