Pistons hope to stay sharp vs. Pelicans

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Detroit Pistons look to keep trending upward when they host the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Pistons have won two in a row and nine of their last 10 games, including Monday's 114-111 triumph over the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Brandon Jennings, who is averaging 22.7 points and 7.4 assists in his last nine games, poured in 34 points on 11-of-22 shooting to go with 10 assists.

"Brandon was unbelievable," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He just put us on his back and carried us."

Jennings came up with a big steal at the end to prevent a Toronto comeback. The Raptors had a 47-33 lead at one point until the Pistons rallied.

Greg Monroe recorded 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Andre Drummond collected 10 points and 14 boards for Detroit, which used a 22-8 run for a 72-70 lead and has won six in a row on the road.

In his last four games, Monroe is posting 20.0 points and 14.3 rebounds. He has recorded seven straight double-doubles.

Detroit has scored 100 or more points in 11 of the last 13 games and is 5-14 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. It will visit Indiana on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans have lost five in a row on the road and began a five- game trek with Monday's 108-100 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Anthony Davis was a monster on the floor with 34 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Eric Gordon had 21 points and Tyreke Evans added 19 and eight boards for New Orleans, which is 6-14 on the road and lost for the fourth time in the last six tries overall.

"We just have to be better," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "We've seen we can play at a high level."

The Pelicans weren't able to build on their previous win over Memphis and they also topped Houston on Jan. 2.

New Orleans will also visit Philadelphia, Toronto and New York on the sojourn, and will play the first of two meetings with Detroit. The Pelicans will host the Pistons on March 4 and took both encounters last season.

Detroit is winless in the last four games in this series. Jennings averaged 26.5 points against the Pelicans last season.