NEWS » the team and that is what they thought

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Stan Van Gundy has been waiting all season for his Detroit Pistons to show the kind of determination that got them into the playoffs.Friday night, he got a glimpse.The Pistons blew an 18-point lead in the third quarter, but rallied down the stretch to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 108-97.Detroit had lost 11 straight to the Clippers, including a 114-82 rout at the Staples Center on Nov. 7.We got embarrassed the last time we played that team, and I knew these guys didnt want that to happen again, Van Gundy said. But beating that team is going to take 48 minutes of effort and we havent been able to do that many times this season.Detroit won its second straight and improved to 7-2 at home, as opposed to 1-7 on the road.Im very happy with the way we played tonight, but we have to be able to take this level of effort on the road, Van Gundy said. Weve got four road games in the next seven days against really good teams. We cant keep giving those games away.The Clippers lost for just the second time in 13 games, falling to 7-1 on the road.Give the Pistons credit; Stan really had them ready to play, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. They came out with so much more energy that we did in the first 10 minutes, and it is tough to dig yourselves out of a big hole on the road.Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 16 points and a career-high 10 assists for Detroit and Andre Drummond had 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Pistons got at least 15 points from all five starters and Jon Leuer added 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.We are really starting to come together, Drummond said. We are more in sync defensively, and the offensive is starting to come around.J.J. Redick and Blake Griffith each had 24 points for the Clippers, while Chris Paul had eight points to go with 15 assists.This wasnt a lack of effort, Paul said. We were energized, but they made shots.The Pistons trailed by as many as 43 earlier this month in Los Angeles, but jumped out to a 31-14 lead in Fridays first quarter. However, with Drummond limited to 8:19 in the first half by foul trouble and Morris playing just 3:42, the Clippers were able to pull within 57-48 at halftime.The Pistons built the margin to as many as 18 early in the third, with Caldwell-Pope finding Drummond for several alley-oops. However, Redick took over the game, scoring 10 points in the final 1:27 of the quarter. His back-to-back 3-pointers pulled the Clippers within 82-80 at periods end.We cut into their lead at the end of the third quarter, but we were still making mistakes, Rivers said. When you are that far behind, you have to play perfect basketball or you use up everything getting it close.Redick finished with 18 in the quarter.He did all that against a really good defender in KCP, Van Gundy said. I was sitting on the bench wondering how I didnt win 65 games a year when I was coaching him in Orlando.Los Angeles scored the first four points of the fourth to take the lead, but stopped hitting shots. That let the Pistons respond with a 15-2 run, capped off by Caldwell-Popes 3-pointer to make it 97-86 with 5:14 to play.We didnt panic, Caldwell-Pope said. We just kept doing what we had been doing all game, and kept trying to make J.J. work.TIP-INSClippers: Paul didnt score in the second half, but put up 10 assists. ... With the Pistons moving to Little Caesars Arena for the 2017-18 season, this was the Clippers final regular-season visit to the Palace of Auburn Hills.Pistons: Guard Stanley Johnson was suspended for one game after an unspecified violation of team rules. That left the Pistons without three rotation guards, as both Reggie Jackson and Reggie Bullock missed the game with left knee injuries.PLAY MAKERWith Jackson not expected to play his first game until next week, Caldwell-Pope was the first Detroit player to reach double figures in assists in a game.VISITING CELEBRITYDuring a timeout, the Palace scoreboard showed Darius Slays interception of Sam Bradfords pass that helped the Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings 16-13 on Thanksgiving. Slay, one of several Lions in attendance, then autographed a football and tossed it to the crowd.UP NEXTClippers: Visit the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.Pistons: Visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. Hector Bellerin Arsenal Jersey . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Mohamed Elneny Arsenal Jersey .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. http://www.arsenalsoccerproshop.com/Authentic-Danny-Welbeck-Arsenal-Jersey/ . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Matteo Guendouzi Arsenal Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Alex Iwobi Arsenal Jersey . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. Five months after being hauled off after just 31 minutes on his second Test appearance, Teimana Harrison has been charged with the essential role of being Englands blockade against Fiji on Saturday.First-half tactical substitutions are a rare thing in Test rugby but Jones made two during their June series against Australia with Luther Burrell getting that treatment in the first match and Harrison in the third.I dont see it as a big deal, was Eddie Jones take when asked if the players were mentally scarred from the experience. It is a view said to be echoed by the team but only Harrison knows exactly how much it affected him ahead of his third start at openside for England against the Islanders at Twickenham.Dylan Hartley, England captain and was also in the same school as Harrison in Rotorua, knows the flanker well.He brought him to Northampton, chartered his meteoric rise from academy obscurity to his Test debut against Wales in May and would have kept a watchful eye on Harrison in the changing room after his substitution ignominy.Eddie said to him after the game in the changing room that it was a decision for the team, Hartley said of Harrison. Coaches make decisions on behalf of the team and that is what they thought we needed at the time.Tei is a young guy. He had a brilliant first season for Northampton. He has been told, like we all have, to improve in certain areas and he has gone and done that.Jones doesnt necessarily follow rugbys traditional narrative. On Friday he talked of how England have only had 31 great players in their history, as they were the group that won the World Cup -- a statement which swipes aside those who played before the quadrennial tournament started in 1987.And then there is Elliot Daly. Though he is usually found in the centres, Daly is on the wing on Saturday despite having started just five of his 92 Aviva Premiership games for Wasps on the flank.First-half substitutions are aalso a break from the norm and it was surprising that he singled out Harrisons showing in Northamptons heavy 41-7 Champions Cup loss at Castres back in October as the best performance he had seen from a No.dddddddddddd7 in a Premiership team.It was this match along with Harrisons off-field work which has seen him given another chance to impress after his Northampton teammate Tom Wood performed well in the openside role last week.Hes physically better equipped. He has gone back and put on a couple of kilos, Jones said. Hes worked particularly on his tackled technique.He did a lot of good work with [England defence coach] Paul Gustard and with [coaching consultant and Melbourne Storm coach] Jason Ryles in Portugal.Jones recognises Harrisons rise has been rapid, but wants him to embrace the physical and mental challenges of Test rugby, starting with Saturdays task of stopping Fijis attacking threat.He needs to be a stopper, Jones said. He needs to stop the Fijians on the gainline. Thats what Haskells done so well for us and now hes in the three-piece suit and looking very good.We need another guy not in the three-piece suit to stop opposition on the gainline.Tom Wood did a great job for us last week; we are looking to see how we can increase the depth in that No.7 role.With James Haskell, Mike Williams, Sam Jones and Jack Clifford all injured and Wood hopeful of returning to the openside role for the Test against Argentina on Nov. 26, there is fierce competition for the No.7 shirt.Harrisons audition will be on Saturday and he is challenged by Jones to take his next step to greatnessWe want to produce great players, Jones said. Every player tomorrow has an opportunity to get on the path to being a great player. If Teimana does it his selection increases. Its it the same for every player. ' ' '