New York — Late in the fourth quarter, it all looked academic. The Pistons had a 20-point lead and were in control of the game.
Things escalated quickly from there.
The Brooklyn Nets scored seven straight points and a dust-up between Andre Drummond and the Nets’ Quincy Acy seemed to give the Brooklyn crowd some energy and the Nets some added incentive.
The Pistons’ lead shrunk to eight before things got back under control and the Pistons held on for a 108-96 victory on Sunday night at Barclays Center, behind their point guards.
Reggie Jackson had 29 points and Ish Smith and Stanley Johnson 17 points each for the Pistons (37-40), who swept the weekend back-to-back in New York and have won five straight and seven of their last eight.