Plauderecke » Aminu missed his second straight game with a back injury

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons turned what was supposed to be a matchup of two of the NBAs best young centers into a blowout.Drummond had 18 points and 15 rebounds, while Hassan Whiteside finished with six points and eight rebounds as the Pistons routed the Miami Heat 107-84 on Wednesday night.Drummond also blocked four shots and had four steals.I know he wasnt happy with himself after our last game, but whatever he did to get ready tonight worked, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. He did a hell of a job. That might be the best defensive game hes played here.Whiteside had set a franchise record with 10-plus rebounds in each of the seasons first 13 games.I just wasnt closing out, and he got some rebounds, Whiteside said. They got some offensive rebounds, and I even knocked one into the wrong basket. It was that kind of night.Detroit snapped a four-game losing streak. The Pistons, who got 22 points from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, are 6-2 at home and 1-7 on the road.We were desperate for a win, Marcus Morris said. We really needed this one, and we set the tone early. Thats something weve needed to do for a while now.Tyler Johnson had 17 points for Miami, which has lost eight of 10. Dion Waiters was the only Miami starter to reach double figures, scoring 11.I have no explanation for that, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. Our second group made a run in the second quarter, but that was the only time we were competitive all night. Our offense wasnt there and we didnt make an effort on defense.Miamis Udonis Haslem got into a confrontation with a Pistons fan with 5:11 left in the game. The pair had a face-to-face shouting match during a timeout until Haslem was pulled away by teammates. Auburn Hills police removed the fan.You can cheer for whichever team you want, but dont be disrespectful, Haslem said, adding that there was no racial aspect to the taunting.The Pistons led by 15 in the first quarter and 56-42 at halftime. Drummond dominated his post matchup with Whiteside, putting up 12 points and nine rebounds to his opponents two points and six boards.It was just effort and energy, Drummond said. Hes the type of player that will hurt you if you dont pay attention when hes on the floor.Detroit shot 68.1 percent in the paint in the half, and kept things going at the start of the third, with Drummond dunking on the first possession. The Pistons led 86-64 going into the fourth.Miami never threatened in a final quarter that saw both coaches empty their benches.I dont know what just happened, Johnson said. They outplayed us, and we didnt respond.TIP-INSHeat: Johnson lost a tooth in a third-quarter scramble for a loose ball, but stayed in the game. It was a temporary tooth, so I didnt even know it was gone until I noticed the empty space, he said. ... Waiters picked up a third-quarter technical for arguing a call.Pistons: Guard Reggie Bullock left the game in the second quarter with a left-leg injury and did not return. ... Jon Leuer recorded his 1,000th career rebound in the third quarter.FAREWELL TOURThe game was the first played at the Palace of Auburn Hills since Tuesdays announcement that the Pistons will join the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena next season. The team will spend the rest of the season celebrating the franchises history at the Palace, which opened in 1988.DEFENSIVE LESSONSThe Pistons scored 28 points in the first quarter, and point guard Goran Dragic wasnt happy with the defensive effort put forth by his teammates. On separate occasions, he was frustrated enough to demonstrate proper techniques to Whiteside and Johnson after they missed assignments.HEAT MEETINGThe Heat locker room was closed for 30 minutes after the game. Spoelstra said there was a brief team meeting where multiple players spoke up. We need to be better than this, he said. They all know that.UP NEXTHeat: Visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday for a meeting against David Fizdale, their former assistant coach.Pistons: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. The Clippers beat Detroit 114-82 in Los Angeles on Nov. 7. NHL Jerseys Sale . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. NHL Jerseys Outlet . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Wholesale NHL Jerseys China . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. DENVER -- Gary Harris return was supposed to strengthen Denvers defense. Instead, the Nuggets relied on their offense to finally solve the Portland Trail Blazers.Harris had 18 points in his first game back from a foot injury, Danilo Gallinari scored 20 of his 27 in the first half and the Nuggets led big early before holding on late to beat the Trail Blazers 132-120 Thursday night.Wilson Chandler added 17 points and Jameer Nelson scored 13 of his 15 in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets withstood a late push. It was Denvers second victory in the last 15 games against the Blazers, who got 40 points and 10 assists from Damian Lillard.Thats the team we have to be, Harris said. We show flashes of that, so we need to put it together every night.CJ McCollum scored 23 for Portland, which has lost five of six.We didnt have much of an impact on the defensive end, Lillard said. They felt comfortable. They made uncontested shots and when we picked our energy up and our effort up they had themselves going.Harris missed 16 games after getting hurt Nov. 12 against Detroit. Nuggets coach Michael Malone planned on easing the third-year guard back into action but Harris played 32 minutes, third-most on the team.I didnt know what was going to happen, Harris said. I was glad to get back out there.The Nuggets snapped a three-game skid at Pepsi Center, where they are 4-7 this season. One of those defeats came in their home opener against Portland when they blew a late lead and lost in overtime.Denver never trailed in this one, but the Trail Blazers tried to make it a game in the fourth behind Lillard. Harris was given the tough task of guarding Lillard and helped hold him in check for three quarters.But the All-Star guard scored 14 points in the last 12 minutes as Portland rallied.dddddddddddd After trailing by as many as 25 in the first half and 21 in the third quarter, the margin was just 10 in the fourth.Denver responded with an 11-5 run to push the lead to 16, and Portland never got the deficit under 10 again.We were able to make enough plays on offense to stem the tide, Malone said. They just ran out of time, thank goodness. That clock was moving very slow.TIP-INSTrail Blazers: F Al-Farouq Aminu missed his second straight game with a back injury. ... Lillard has scored 30 or more points in three of his last five games.Nuggets: The 132 points were a season high. ... Denver Broncos LB Shaquil Barrett was in attendance. He hit a halfcourt shot during a late timeout to the delight of the sparse crowd. ... After getting Harris back, Denver was at full strength for the first time this season. Alonzo Gee was inactive and Malik Beasley is with Sioux Falls of the D-League.REMEMBERING CRAIG SAGERThere was a moment of silence before the national anthem following the death of Sager, the longtime TNT sideline reporter. Malone and Portland coach Terry Stotts spoke about Sager before the game. Malone said it is a tough loss for the entire NBA family, while Stotts said his legacy will go well beyond just his suits and colorful personality. Just the way he lived his life, the way he battled cancer will long be remembered.UP NEXTTrail Blazers: At the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.Nuggets: Welcome back Carmelo Anthony when the New York Knicks visit Saturday night. ' ' '