Pistons at Warriors
The Golden State Warriors fell out of first place in the Western Conference on Saturday, and they did so in embarrassing fashion. The defending NBA champions will try to pick up the pieces in a hurry when they host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday in the finale of their three-game homestand.
After claiming the opener of the homestand with a 23-point win over Indiana, the Warriors dropped a 126-91 decision to Dallas on Saturday while star guard Stephen Curry was given the night off to rest. "We just couldn't pull together after that slow start and we never could get any traction," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters after his team dropped one-half game behind first-place Denver in the West. "We've got to just flush this one down the toilet and move on to tomorrow. There's not much else to do." The Pistons have dropped four of their last seven after suffering a 117-114 loss at Portland on Saturday. They enter Sunday's contest tied with Brooklyn for sixth place in the East.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (37-35): Blake Griffin and Reggie Jackson combined for 51 points in the loss to Portland. Andre Drummond registered 19 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double and NBA-leading 60th on the season. The University of Connecticut product recorded one of those double-doubles - 16 points and 19 boards - in a home win over Golden State earlier this season.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (49-23): Kevin Durant led Golden State with 25 points on Friday but went 9-for-25 from the floor and was 0-for-8 from 3-point range as the Warriors shot a season-low 13.3 percent from beyond the arc. DeMarcus Cousins stood out with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting in 23 minutes. Sharpshooter Klay Thompson was limited to eight points, his lowest total since Christmas, and is 1-for-10 from 3-point range over his last two games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Durant, Curry and Thompson each scored at least 20 points in the first meeting, but the Pistons won 111-102 at home.
2. Drummond, who entered Saturday shooting 44.4 percent from the foul line for his career, hit all seven of his free throws against Portland.
3. Golden State PG Quinn Cook started in place of Curry on Friday and recorded a season-high seven assists.