Pistons' second-half adjustments not enough, lose 98-89

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY SportsDetroit drops to a game and a half above Chicago for the final playoff spot in the East.

The Pistons were down by 15 at halftime and looked beat. Marcus Morris' excellent first quarter (16 of Detroit's 25 points in the quarter) was negated by the bench's poor play and the passivity of Reggie Jackson. Reggie also couldn't stay in front of J.J. Barea, who scored 17 in the first half (and 29 for the game).

After halftime, Stan Van Gundy switched up the defensive assignments, siccing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on Barea and (essentially) hiding Reggie on Justin Anderson. The gambit worked for a while, as KCP stifled Barea defensively and Reggie energized the rest of the…