NBA Power Rankings Week 19: LA Clippers get aggressive on buyout market

Last week: Lost to Milwaukee 126-106

This week: Sunday at Portland, Tuesday at Denver, Friday at Phoenix

The Detroit Pistons continued to shave veterans off the roster, reaching buyout deals with Reggie Jackson and Markieff Morris over the last week while adding former Clipper Derrick Walton and undrafted free agent Donta Hall on 10-day contracts. Hall had spent the season with the Pistons’ G League affiliate in Grand Rapids after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Detroit last summer.

Having traded Andre Drummond before the deadline, the Pistons have officially moved on from their kinda big three era of Drummond, Jackson and Blake Griffin. They’ve also lost five straight games after taking a 20-point pounding from the visiting Bucks in their return from the All-Star break on Friday and are just 2-11 over their last 13 games.

Second-year guard Bruce Brown had a nice night in the loss to the Bucks, scoring 16 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes on 7-of-0 shooting, hitting 1-of-2 from deep. Brown now has three consecutive games with at least 10 rebounds and has registered three of his four double-doubles this season since Feb. 2.

Last week: Lost to New Orleans 128-115

This week: Sunday vs. Detroit, Tuesday vs. Boston, Thursday at Indiana, Saturday at Atlanta

The Portland Trail Blazers opened their second half with a thud Friday night, getting beaten handily at home by the Pelicans for their third consecutive loss. It was Portland’s fourth loss in five games and was their first game since losing Damian Lillard to a groin injury. He’s expected to be out another three or four games.

Lillard is averaging 29.5 points per game, fourth-best in the NBA, but had to pull out of both the Three-Point Shootout and the All-Star Game because of the groin injury.

CJ McCollum took on the load with the scoring and playmaking in the loss to the Pelicans, finishing with 27 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in 37 minutes while hitting 10-of-22 overall and making 3-of-8 from 3-point range. McCollum is on pace for his fifth straight season averaging at least 20 points per game, currently putting in 21.4 a night over 53 games.