DETROIT — After letting a victory slip away in the final minute on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Pistons didn’t let another one get away.
With a revamped starting lineup tilted toward the youth movement, along with several veterans who were resting or injured, the Pistons put a rotation on the floor that accentuated the rebuild, with three rookies.
Three of those starters scored in double figures and the young reserves helped carry the Pistons the rest of the way in a 110-104 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena.
The win ended a three-game losing streak for the Pistons (17-39), along with a season sweep over the Thunder (20-36).
Josh Jackson had 29 points and seven rebounds, Saddiq Bey 18 points and seven rebounds, and rookie Isaiah Stewart added 15 points and a season-best 22 rebounds, the most by a Pistons rookie in a game since Leon Douglas in 1977.
The Pistons surrendered an 11-point lead against the Clippers and had a nine-point lead with 1:41 remaining against the Thunder. There wasn’t a repeat performance this time, with the young players finding a way to hold on — and even extend the lead — down the stretch.
The lead was 95-94 at the 4:36 mark, but the Pistons scored eight straight points. Frank Jackson (18 points) scored on a coast-to-coast drive and Josh Jackson initially was whistled for an offensive foul — which would have been his sixth and fouled him out — but coach Dwane Casey challenged the foul call and it was overturned, giving Josh Jackson a pair of free throws.
He made both free throws and Stewart made back-to-back baskets to extend the lead to 103-95. Lou Dort (26 points and six rebounds) split a pair of free throws and Josh Jackson scored a basket. Frank Jackson added two free throws, for a 10-point lead with 30.1 seconds left.
The Thunder made it interesting in the final minute, with a 4-point play by Dort to get within six. Isaiah Roby made a 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds remaining to trim the lead to four, but they didn’t get any closer, missing a long 3-pointer on the final possession of the game.
