National Basketball Association
Detroit 120, Portland 113
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Officials: #22 Bill Spooner, #72 J.T. Orr, #47 Bennie Adams
Attendance: 13502

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Detroit Pistons have gotten used to living on the edge over the last three weeks.

They erased a 16-point, fourth-quarter deficit at Toronto and pulled out a one-point victory. They trailed Charlotte by 15 points entering the fourth and won in overtime. So being down 13 points late in the third quarter to Portland on Tuesday night certainly didn't faze them.

They staged a rally to force overtime, and rode the hot hand of Marcus Morris to finish off the comeback.

Morris poured in a career-high 37 points, including seven in overtime, and the Pistons downed the Trail Blazers 120-113 at The Palace.

"That's not a good formula," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said of all the comeback victories. "I applaud our resilience. We got blown out several times (earlier in the season) and we were just letting games go. We've got a lot more fight now. But I'd like to play a more solid game from beginning to end."

Morris, who also contributed eight rebounds and six assists, topped his previous best of 36 points, set against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 3.

"That might be the best game he's played since he's been here," Van Gundy said of Morris, who was acquired from Phoenix in the summer of 2015. "When you look at the scoring, eight rebounds, six assists, zero turnovers and he did a good job defending. Marcus has played a lot of good basketball for us but that might be the best game he's played overall. He carried us for a long, long stretch of that game."

Andre Drummond had 19 points and 15 rebounds for Detroit (29-31). Kentavious Caldwell-Pope supplied 16 points, Ish Smith added 12 points, a career-high seven steals and seven assists, and Tobias Harris chipped in 11 points for the Pistons.

Smith was a crucial factor at both ends, as Detroit forced 24 turnovers and turned them into 21 points.

"It's something he does every night," Drummond said. "When he comes off the bench, we know exactly what we'll get from him. He's a sparkplug and he gets our team going. He's a high-energy guy and when he plays like that, it really motivates everybody."

Damian Lillard fell one assist shy of his first career triple-double for Portland. He finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

CJ McCollum had 25 points, Jusuf Nurkic contributed 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Allen Crabbe tossed in 13 points for the Blazers (24-35). Portland lost for the fifth time in six games.

"We had our chances," coach Terry Stotts said. "Obviously, the turnovers were a big part of the game. When you have a 17-turnover differential and to be in a position to still win the game, that's probably a feat in itself."

When Portland didn't give the ball away, it shot well enough to win. The Blazers made 44 of 84 field-goal attempts (52.4 percent).

"I think I had six," McCollum said of the turnovers. "Overall, we've got to do a better job of taking care of the ball and making the right decisions."

Morris' three-point play with 3:18 left in overtime gave Detroit a 114-111 lead. He followed with another jumper, establishing his career high.

Smith's midrange jumper gave the Pistons a seven-point lead with 1:39 remaining.

The Pistons used a 40-19 run to turn that 13-point deficit in the third into an eight-point advantage.

When Drummond dunked with 4:50 left, the Pistons were up 102-94. The Blazers then responded with a 13-3 run.

Lillard hit two free throws with 2:19 left to tie it at 105-all. Nurkic made two free throws with 1:46 remaining after a loose ball foul on Morris, moving Portland back on top.

The lead changed hands again on buckets by Morris and Caldwell-Pope.

Lillard's driving layup with 2.8 seconds left knotted the score at 109. Morris then missed a fadeaway, sending the game to overtime.

NOTES: Blazers C Jusuf Nurkic was playing his fourth game since being traded from the Nuggets. "He's a big, physical center for us," coach Terry Stotts said. "The biggest thing is he's made an impression at both ends of the floor. The transition has been pretty smooth for him." ... The Pistons swept the season series for the second straight year, the first time they completed back-to-back sweeps against Portland in franchise history. ... Pistons C Andre Drummond now has 220 double-doubles since the 2012-13 season, the most in the NBA. ... Portland SF Evan Turner missed his sixth consecutive game after fracturing his right hand. ... PF Henry Ellenson and SG Darrun Hilliard were Detroit's inactives.
Top Game Performances
 
Portland   Detroit
Damian Lillard 34 Scoring Marcus Morris 37
Damian Lillard 9 Assists Ish Smith 7
Damian Lillard 11 Rebounds Andre Drummond 15
Damian Lillard 5 Free Throws Made Marcus Morris 8
Allen Crabbe 2 Steals Ish Smith 7
Al-Farouq Aminu 1 Blocks Aron Baynes 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Portland 113 52.4 10-25 15-22 25 50 5 5 24
Detroit 120 43.3 7-25 23-31 23 48 2 13 8
Upcoming Games
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against New Orleans. The Pistons have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .531 after a loss.
  • Portland will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .457 after a loss.