Pistons 98, Bulls 94 (OT)
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Marcus Morris poured in 26 points and Andre Drummond racked up 20 points and 20 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons remained unbeaten with a 98-94 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at The Palace.
Morris, Detroit's starting small forward, also grabbed seven rebounds for the Pistons (3-0). Point guard Reggie Jackson, who recorded his 1,000th career assist during the third quarter, contributed 22 points and seven assists.
Shooting guard Jimmy Butler tossed in 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and power forward Nikola Mirotic had 22 points for the Bulls (2-1). Center Pau Gasol added 16 points and 11 rebounds while point guard Derrick Rose, held scoreless until midway through the final quarter, finished with eight points.
Chicago committed 20 turnovers, leading to 21 Pistons points.
Detroit scored on its first three possessions of overtime. Morris fired in a jumper, Jackson made a driving layup and reserve forward Anthony Tolliver drilled a 3-pointer to make it 90-83. Drummond's put-back with 1:35 left kept the lead at seven, 94-87.
Butler made a 3-pointer to cut Detroit's lead to 96-92 but Chicago couldn't pull any closer.
Morris and Jackson scored all of the Pistons' points during a 16-4 run early in the third quarter that gave Detroit a 53-45 lead. Butler finally showed signs of life offensively after a quiet first half, scoring eight points in the quarter, as the Bulls rallied to tie it at 64.
Rose's first basket, coming with 6:28 remaining, put the Bulls up 76-74. Morris hit a fadeaway jumper to even it at 79.
Drummond's tip-in with 1:40 left gave Detroit an 83-81 advantage but Rose quickly tied it with a layup. Both clubs committed shot-clock violations during their ensuing possessions. Jackson and Rose then missed jumpers, sending the game to overtime.
The Bulls committed 13 turnovers in the first half, yet still led 39-35 at halftime.
NOTES: Pistons SG Jodie Meeks, who was injured during the home opener on Wednesday, underwent a surgical procedure Thursday to repair a non-displaced fracture in his right foot. He is expected to miss 12-16 weeks. ... Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg clarified prior to the game whether C Joakim Noah asked to play with the second unit. "Did he specifically say 'I want to come off the bench'?' No," Hoiberg said. "Nobody wants to come off the bench, but it's the decision we came up with." ... Chicago hasn't started a season 3-0 since 1996-97, when it began that campaign with a 12-0 mark. Detroit hasn't won its first three games of the season since 2008-09, when it started off 4-0. ... The teams will meet three more times this season, with the next matchup at Chicago on Dec. 18. ... The Bulls won eight of the last 12 meetings.