Pistons at Mavericks
Point guard Dennis Smith Jr. returned to the Dallas Mavericks after an unhappy sabbatical and will again be in the lineup for Friday's game against the visiting Detroit Pistons. Smith missed six straight games due to friction over his role but shared the ball-handling duties with star rookie Luka Doncic in Tuesday's 106-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 21-year-old Smith was frustrated that his role was diminishing as Doncic continued to excel but he was pleased with Tuesday's outing as he had 17 points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes. "I've been playing basketball for a long time, so any time that I'm not able to play is not pleasant," Smith told reporters. "We got a win and that's the important thing. I'm happy to be back. This is what I love to do, I've been doing it for a very long time." The Pistons won for just the eighth time in their past 27 games as power forward Blake Griffin scored 37 points in Wednesday's 98-94 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Detroit standout center Andre Drummond (concussion) is expected to miss his fourth straight game.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (21-26): Griffin went on a fourth-quarter roll by scoring 20 of his 37 in the stanza and he also finished with nine rebounds, seven assists and four 3-pointers. "He's carrying us, handling the basketball, making good decisions, just doing everything we could ask a franchise player to do," Detroit coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "He's been great. He sets the tone for us offensively. He'd probably have more assists if we knocked down more shots." Guard Reggie Jackson scored 17 points against New Orleans after a three-game slump in which he averaged 6.7 points on 7-of-24 shooting.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (21-26): Smith's shooting was rusty - he was 6-of-17 - but coach Rick Carlisle was pleased with how he assimilated himself back into the lineup. "I thought he was great, just really tremendous, and everything we needed: speed, attacking, shot-making, a couple of amazing assists," Carlisle told reporters of Smith. "It has been tough for him, being away from his teammates, and he played one of his best games since he has been here." Doncic is just 14-of-46 from the field over the past three games and his take on Smith's hiatus was brief: "It shouldn't happen. It's bad for a team."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pistons won three of their past four visits to Dallas.
2. Detroit SG Reggie Bullock is just 9-of-35 shooting over the past three games.
3. Dallas SF Harrison Barnes scored 20 points against the Clippers to reach at least 20 for the fourth time in the past six games.