The Los Angeles Clippers got 37 points form Jamal Crawford and 34 from Blake Griffin to help defeat the Detroit Pistons 101-96 on Saturday to end a two game losing streak. 

Crawford got the start because J.J. Redick was out with a back injury and might not come back for a few games. Crawford scored 20 of his 37 in the second half, which was huge for the Clippers in their comeback victory. 

"We just needed to win," Crawford said. "I never really lose confidence in myself."

He provided a huge spark to help with the loss of Chris Paul, who has been out for three straight games with a sore right groin. The losses of Paul and Redick allowed Paul Pierce to make his first start with the Clippers. Lance Stephenson came off the bench. 

In his season-high 30 minutes of action, Pierce tallied three points, three rebounds and three assists. 

The Clippers were down by 17 and then fought back to take an 81-80 lead into the fourth quarter. Late in the game, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed a game-tying three-pointer with four seconds to go. After missing, the Pistons fouled Crawford, who sealed the deal with two free throws to end the game. 

"He played great, but I should have been able to come up with something that would have made it a little tougher," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said of Crawford. "You knew when those guys were out that it was going to be Crawford and Blake Griffin. We've seen it for years in this league."

Austin Rivers added a few clutch free throws at the end of the game, but was not super involved in the offense. The guard scored 13 points, three rebounds and one assists in 42 minutes on Saturday. 

Griffin knocked down a huge jumped with 17 seconds left to push his total to 34 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. The center, DeAndre Jordan brought down 16 rebounds to accompany his 10 points. 

As for the Pistons, it was Andre Drummond with a huge game. He had 18 points, 19 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one black over 34 minutes. He now is averaging 18.7 points, 19.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks in an average 36.8 minutes. 

Sooner than later, Drummond should develop more of a post-up game, which he has been counting on this season. Eventually, it will come. 

Reggie Jackson scored another 20 point game with six rebounds, five assists and one steal in the loss against the Clippers. Ersan Ilyasova added 20 points to his name. 

Jackson hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one with eight seconds left, but Detroit could not find the victory. 

"I felt like we had control and just didn't finish it," Jackson said. "They just found a way to get hot. Jamal Crawford is one of the best scorers in the league. He found a way to get the ball in the basket and was 10 for 10 on free throws. We've got to find a way as a team to get stops."

The Pistons will take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday on the same court they played the Clippers, who will play the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. It will be four days off for Los Angeles, who will work on a few things for the reigning NBA champions. 

On November 4, the Warriors defeated the Clippers 112-108 at home. This time around, it will be the Clippers hosting the Warriors. 

"We've got a lot of work to do," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "We have to be better than that."

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About the author
Evan Petzold
Evan Petzold is a Detroit-based journalist with expertise in covering the Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. A member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) and Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DBSA), he brings a unique skill set in reporting and broadcasting to the table.