The Detroit Pistons (3-0) defeated the Chicago Bulls (2-1) 98-94 in overtime Friday.
Both teams saw several established starters struggle mightily with their shots, and relied heavily on a narrow core of their starters for the bulk of the scoring as a result. The Bulls’ Derrick Rose was actually held scoreless until the 4th quarter, and finished with only eight points. The Pistons’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was similarly frustrated on offense, totaling only six points on 2-for-12 shooting.
The Bulls were the beneficiaries of a third straight strong performance from power forward Nikola Mirotic, who tallied 22 points, including another three buckets from beyond the arc. Jimmy Butler paced the Bulls with a double-double that featured 23 points and 11 boards from the dynamic shooting guard. Pau Gasol was the other main contributor on the night, posting a double-double of his own with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
With three starters scoring 20 points or more and a trademark double-double from Andre Drummond, the Pistons were eventually able to pull away from the Bulls in the extra period. Drummond notched 20 points and complemented it with 11 rebounds, while Marcus Morris poured in a game-high 26 points on outstanding 67 percent shooting (10-for-15) from the field. Reggie Jackson posted his best performance of the young season as well, chipping in 22 points, seven assists, and seven boards.
The loss dropped the Bulls to 2-1 and second place behind the Pistons in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division. They head home to face the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
The win raised the Pistons record to a perfect 3-0 and keeps them in first place in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division. They now enjoy a three-day break before their next contest, a home tilt against the Pacers next Tuesday.
