Bob Lanier, the left-handed big man who muscled up beside the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as one of the NBA’s top players of the 1970s, has died. He was 73.
The NBA said Lanier died Tuesday after a short illness.
New Orleans is defying all the odds.
The Pelicans are the first team in 46 years to finish a season 10 or more games under .500, then go on to win at least two playoff games — and that doesn't even count the two play-in game victories just to officially reach the postseason.
DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham was one of the only players on the court more than an hour before a recent game, dribbling at different paces to practice moves to his right and left while pulling up for jumpers at varying distances.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid and James Harden are off to Toronto for the playoffs. Defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle is staying behind for the road games; he's not fully vaccinated and barred from entering Canada.
DETROIT (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists to help the Milwaukee Bucks rout the Detroit Pistons 131-101 on Friday night.
“I knew I had to be aggressive and play downhill tonight,” Antetokounmpo said.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks turned up their defensive intensity just in time Thursday night to beat the short-handed Boston Celtics and take over second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
DETROIT (AP) — Luka Doncic has helped the Dallas Mavericks win 50 games, a relatively rare feat lately for the franchise.
The All-Star guard had 26 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds to lead Dallas in a 131-113 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
Gene Shue, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year who won 784 games with the Bullets, 76ers and Clippers, has died. He was 90.
A five-time All-Star as a player for the Pistons, Shue went on to coach for more than two decades.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 31 points and Fred Jackson had 19 to lead the sharpshooting Detroit Pistons past the Indiana Pacers 121-117 on Sunday.
Bey hit 11 of 18 shots, including shooting 7 of 9 on 3-pointers, in 23 minutes.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Killian Hayes scored a career-high 26 points and Frank Jackson also had 26 to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 110-101 victory over Oklahoma City on Friday night in a matchup of teams near the bottom of the NBA standings.
DETROIT (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 10 of his 20 points in the final 4:23 as the Detroit Pistons pulled away down the stretch and beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102-94 on Thursday night.
“It is huge for us to see that we can play at this level and play well enough to beat a team like Philly,” Bey said.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 41 points and the Brooklyn Nets rallied past the Detroit Pistons 130-123 on Tuesday night.
Durant connected on 14 of 23 shots, 4 of 6 from 3-point range and all nine of his foul shots while adding 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks to help the Nets overcome a double-digit deficit in the second quarter.
DETROIT (AP) — Pistons forward Jerami Grant will miss the remainder of the season because of a strained left calf.
The team said Monday that Grant was hurt in the first quarter of a 100-97 loss to Washington on Friday.
DETROIT (AP) — Alec Burks hit a 3-pointer for New York's final points and finished off Detroit with a last-second steal in the Knicks' 104-102 victory over the Pistons on Sunday.
R.J. Barrett led New York with 21 points, Julian Randle had 20 and Burks and Immanuel Quickly had 18 each.
DETROIT (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and 10 rebounds and the Washington Wizards held on to beat the Detroit Pistons 100-97 on Friday night.
The Wizards had lost eight of nine, falling 114-102 at Milwaukee on Thursday night.
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks had such high hopes.
After a surprising playoff run that came up just short of the NBA Finals, they came into this season with a deep roster led by one of the league's most exciting young players.
DETROIT (AP) — Jeremi Grant scored 21 points and the slumping Detroit Pistons routed the Atlanta Hawks 122-101 on Wednesday night.
“We knew they played a tough game last night in New York, and that's always tough for a back-to-back because it takes a while to get out of there,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said.
DETROIT (AP) — Brandon Williams scored 23 points and Ben McLemore added 21 as the patchwork Portland Trail Blazers ended a four-game losing streak with a 119-115 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.
CLEVELAND (AP) — All-Star point guard Darius Garland had 24 points and 12 assists, Evan Mobley had his NBA rookie-high 20th double-double and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109 on Saturday night.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored a career-high 51 points and the Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 134-120 on Thursday night to end a four-game losing streak.
Bey tied the franchise record with 10 3-pointers in 14 attempts.
MIAMI (AP) — The game plan didn't call for Max Strus to play Tuesday night. He was not in the Miami Heat rotation to start the game, only entering after halftime because Jimmy Butler left with a sprained ankle.
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 31 points and eight rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 22 points and eight rebounds and the Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 114-103 on Friday night for their fifth victory in a row.
DETROIT (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter and the Chicago Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons 114-108 on Wednesday night to snap a five-game losing streak.
“There's no doubt he is playing the best basketball of his career,” said Pistons coach Dwane Casey, who coached DeRozan for eight years in Toronto.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Gregg Popovich tied Don Nelson’s NBA record with his 1,335th career victory as a coach in the San Antonio Spurs’ 117-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Popovich, in his 26th season, will try to pass Nelson when San Antonio hosts the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 28 points and 10 assists, lifting the Detroit Pistons to a 113-110 overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
“He’s the Rookie of the Year," Pistons coach Dwane Casey.
DETROIT (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 25 points, Cade Cunningham had 20 points and nine rebounds and the Detroit Pistons rallied to beat the Indiana Pacers 111-106 on Friday night.