PHOENIX – Good night for the Pistons, great night for Ed Stefanski.
The much-needed Thursday win over Phoenix kept the Pistons in the No. 6 playoff spot, ahead of Brooklyn and Miami on their heels. The mainstays had much to do with it: 16 points and 19 rebounds for Andre Drummond; 17 points, eight assists and seven boards for Blake Griffin despite subpar shooting he attributed to being out of rhythm after a three-day break; a combined 25 points from point guards Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith.
For all of that, the contributions of the players Stefanski and his front office have added in their 10 months on the job were critically needed.