The Pistons had a very good game tonight versus the Miami Heat who, as expected, have slipped far down the standings this year without LeBron James. Chris Bosh had a nice game for the Heat, but even he couldn't compete with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe down low.
D.J. Augustin had another good game, and continues to do everything he can to follow Brandon Jennings' postseason push. He has done an extremely good job of running this squad, and has surprised many people. The last time a Pistons player posted 25 points and 10 assists in back to back games (what Augustin has just done) was Jerry Stackhouse in 2002 (Via @IsaacFromCT on Twitter). This is quite the remarkable feet, especially for someone who has been a bench player for the majority of the season.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also posted another good game for the Pistons, and has definitely had the hot hand as of late. He tallied 18 for Detroit, the third highest of any player tonight behind Augustin and Bosh. While many Pistons fans wanted Trey Burke over KCP in the draft, it appears as though Joe Dumars made a good selection with his final first-round draft pick in Detroit, as he has really shined under Stan Van Gundy.
While Kyle Singler isn't exactly a star and many don't even believe he should be starting for the Pistons come playoff time, he did have a good game, including going a perfect 3 for 3 from beyond the arc. He ended up with 13 points in 30 minutes, which is better than three Heat starters (Deng, Chalmers, and Napier) as well as bench players Ennis and Haslem combined.
Greg Monroe also played a nice game for the Pistons. The more he plays, the more valuable he seems to be to the Pistons, as the tides have turned from possibly trading him for value, to signing him long term this summer, or maybe earlier. He posted 12 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes.
Finally, there's Andre Drummond, who has played phenomenal basketball for the Pistons almost on a consistent basis. He pulled off another double-double despite being constantly challenged by Bosh in the paint, as he ended up with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
The Pistons bench didn't see much action tonight, shooting, with the exception of Meeks, a combined 6 of 14. Anthony Tolliver and newcomer John Lucas III both went 1 of 4 from the field, while Butler went 3 of 4, Joel Anthony 1 for 1 and Jonas Jerebko 0 for 1.
The Pistons and Heat meet two more times this year, one in Miami on March 29th, and another in Detroit on April 4th, both near the end of the year.
The Pistons next game is against the struggling Pacers in Indiana tomorrow. The Pistons have had the hot hand as of late and should be ready to go for what last year would have been a very hard back to back. Due to injuries and free agency, however, the Pistons don't have it as tough as they could.
As of now, the Pistons stand in 10th in the East, just 2.5 games out of the seventh (seven and eight are tied) and with the way things have been going for the Pistons, it is likely that they get even closer to making the playoffs.