Detroit Pistons vs Phoenix Suns Box Score on Mar 20, 2018

Pistons reserve guards Luke Kennard and Ish Smith had 16 and 13 points, respectively, and starting point guard Reggie Jackson had seven points and two assists in 15 minutes in his return from a serious ankle injury.

Detroit won its second straight in its fight to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Drummond had five blocked shots and Stanley Johnson added five steals for the smothering Pistons, who are 5 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Milwaukee Bucks in the East with 11 games to play.

Alex Len had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Josh Jackson had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Troy Daniels had 18 points for the Suns, who again played without leading scorers Devin Booker and TJ Warren. Phoenix has lost 19 of 20 and 24 of 26.

After missing 37 games, Reggie Jackson was back in the starting lineup, and the Pistons are a different team with him on the floor. He averaged 14.5 points and 5.5 assists in the first 33 games the season before sustaining torn ligaments in his right ankle when he landed awkwardly after making a jump pass in a 107-83 victory over Indiana on Dec. 26.

The Pistons were 19-14 after beating the Pacers the night Jackson got hurt, and they went 12-25 in without him. They are 9-13 since the acquisition of Griffin. They will conclude a six-game road trip in Houston on Thursday.

Reggie Jackson's 3-pointer two minutes into the second quarter gave the Pistons a 25-23 lead, which they pushed to a 44-38 advantage heading into halftime. Griffin had 16 points, including two 3-pointers, and five rebounds in the first half. Len had 13 points and eight rebounds before the break.

Smith hit two free throws with five minutes left in the third quarter to cap a 25-10 run for a 69-48 lead. The Suns never were closer than 13 again.

Booker, out with a sprained hand, has missed 18 games because of various injuries this season. He is averaging 24.9 points a game. Warren sustained a sprained left knee in a loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

--Field Level Media