The host San Antonio Spurs defeated the visiting Detroit Pistons, 96 - 86, on Friday night. The win came as a much - needed momentum - changer for the Spurs (6 - 3), who had lost three of their previous four games. Strong second - half play helped feed the turnaround win, as the Spurs came out and outscored Detroit by 11 in the third quarter. Big man Pau Gasol, a first - year member of the Spurs, led the way for the team with 21 points. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard also helped to bring home the win for the Spurs. Despite shooting just 5 - of - 18, Leonard scored 17 points and came away with four steals. Big man LaMarcus Aldridge posted 12 rebounds, meanwhile, helping San Antonio to earn a slight advantage in the rebounding column on the night. The Spurs were able to out - rebound the Pistons despite the play of Detroit center Andre Drummond, the league's leading rebounder. Drummond had 17 rebounds on the night. The rebounding column was n't the only place where Drummond contributed, as he also led the Pistons (4 - 5) with 20 points. Detroit is still suffering from the absence of injured point guard Reggie Jackson, although backup Ish Smith has been able to make an impact in his absence. Smith scored 12 points on efficient shooting and committed just one turnover in 30 minutes of play. The loss helped to highlight Detroit's struggles on the road so far this season, as the Pistons fell to 0 - 5 away from home. Detroit has won every game played at the Palace of Auburn Hills this season, but attempts to win a road outing still remain fruitless. The Pistons will remain on the road on Saturday as they visit Denver, while San Antonio will travel to Houston.
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 "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 5 Losses ,has 86 Total points ,has 11 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 4 Points in 4th quarter ."
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 "PlayerStat(G,'Ish Smith') has 30 Field goals attempted ,has 12 Field goals made ,has 1 Minutes played ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Kawhi Leonard') has 18 Field goals attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 17 Minutes played ,has 4 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'LaMarcus Aldridge') has 12 Field goals attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Pau Gasol') has 21 Field goals attempted ."]