Pistons score 42 points in third quarter.
That’s why they were happy to get Sunday’s game out of the way as quickly as possible.
Playing at noon on the day after daylight saving time went into effect, the Pistons scored 42 third-quarter points en route to a 131-107 rout of the Chicago Bulls and their fifth straight win.
Detroit finished the quarter with a 103-80 lead, good enough to let coach Dwane Casey rest Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson rest for the entire fourth quarter.
Detroit has won 12 of 14 to take a half-game lead over the Nets for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
“That was huge, because we’re playing in Brooklyn tomorrow and then we go to Miami,” Casey said. “We’re not in a position to use what they are calling load management to give our players a night off, so being able to sit them in the fourth is a bonus.”
Griffin (17 points), Drummond (nine) and Jackson (eight) combined for 34 of Detroit’s 42 points in the third. The Pistons outscored the Bulls by 17 points, hitting 57.7 percent of their shots including 6 of 12 on 3-pointers.
“We got into a good rhythm and we were hitting shots,” Drummond said. “We were making them make mistakes, because they were trying to blitz us and we were swinging the ball and taking the best shots possible.”
Griffin finished with 28 points in 27 minutes.
“I’ve said it over and over again during these 14 games,” Griffin said.
