April 15, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Damien Wilkins (8) collides with Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe (left) and shooting guard Kyle Singler (25) during the first quarter at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Pistons 109, Philadelphia 76ers 101

Seeming unclear on exactly what the concept of “tanking” entails, the Detroit Pistons have now won their last four consecutive games at precisely the time when the most beneficial thing the team could do is lose.

Sarcasm aside, the Pistons rode a strong second half to a win over the terrible 76ers tonight, outscoring Philadelphia 58-47 after halftime. Leading the way was Greg Monroe who – as he tends to do – scored 27 points on a ridiculous 10-of-14 shooting, adding 16 rebounds and four assists. Monroe could simply do no wrong tonight, right down to his off-court camera shots, where he was filmed dancing along to Jump On It as well as standing next to a life-size bobble-head of himself.

The Pistons looked loose and cohesive, and were generally able to impose their will on the Sixers in the second half despite a relatively quiet performance from Andre Drummond (5 points, 8 rebounds). Will Bynum again provided a spark off the bench, following up a 15-point, 10-assist performance against Charlotte with a 22-point (8-of-13 shooting), 6-assist one tonight.

The Pistons were sharp offensively, hitting 49.4% of their shots, and showcased some sharp passing, especially from Monroe and Bynum. Kyle Singler also made a difference, hitting 6 of his 11 shots en route to 16 points, most of which came in that strong second half. On the flip side, however, Brandon Knight struggled once again, hitting only 5-of-16 for 12 points. Knight has now surpassed 50% shooting in only three of his ten games since returning from injury in April.

The Sixers posted a somewhat balanced offensive effort – six players scored in double digits – but made only 44.8% of their shots (27.3% from three) in the loss. They were led by a decent effort from forward Dorell Wright, who made four threes and scored 22 points, but overall came out flat. A combination of the game’s general lack of excitement and it being the season’s penultimate game showed up in the commentary, as they seemed bored and spent most of the first quarter comparing Sixers center Spencer Hawes to Julius Erving, Tim Duncan, and Hakeem Olajuwon. I’m about 80% sure they were joking.

There’s not much else to say about this one. The Pistons are now one game away from closing the book on a mixed bag of a season and preparing for the next. They’ll play Brooklyn this Wednesday, and with the way they’re playing right now (coupled with the Nets clinching the fourth seed), they could quite possibly close the season on a five-game winning streak.

So, you know, the opposite of tanking. Naturally.

January 20, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (1) center Greg Monroe (10) and Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) go for a rebound in the fourth quarter at The Palace. Detroit won 103-88. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Midway through the fourth quarter, Brandon Knight broke loose and found himself matched one-on-one with thin air. Somehow, the air won.

It was a fitting metaphor for the Pistons’ night, as they found improbably found themselves in position to win, only to see the game bounced haphazardly off the glass like Knight’s layup attempt. The Celtics rushed out to an 18-point lead midway through the third, but a big run late in the quarter put the Pistons right back into it. Just not close enough.

Jeff Green did most of the damage for the Celtics tonight. The athletic forward stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 34 points on 13-of-19 shooting, grabbing six boards and blocking four shots. He made a few key plays down the stretch to secure the lead for Boston, including a putback dunk and an open corner three. Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for the Celtics.

The Pistons committed something of a crime on the Celtics in the paint, out-rebounding Boston 52-34 for the game (including a 25-4 advantage on the offensive glass). While rebounds are not exactly the Celtics’ specialty, the Pistons were able to impose their will on Celtics down low. Greg Monroe’s recent hot streak continued, as he scored 24 points (11-of-22 shooting) and pulled down 17 rebounds. Rodney Stuckey tacked on 22 points despite a 5-of-16 mark, bolstered by an 11-of-15 mark from the free throw line, and Jonas Jerebko scored 19 on 6-of-10 shooting.

Brandon Knight’s play is becoming something of a concern as of late, as the combo guard has looked simply atrocious in six games since his return from injury. A 2-of-10 mark tonight puts him at 14-of-48 for his last six, and that probably doesn’t even illustrate just how bad he’s been. He was pressed into starting point guard duty tonight with Calderon scratched (sore right arm), and the results were not pretty.

Charlie Villanueva’s game tonight was deserving of its own paragraph, though. The forward evidently took Jrue Holiday’s epic 2-for-24 game against the Bobcats as a challenge, as he finished the night 2-for-17 himself. He missed all eight of his threes. Yes, eight. I understand the Pistons are doing this whole “tanking” thing quite well, but I still question why he’s received no minutes when Villanueva has been playing like this as of late.

Ultimately, the Pistons were never likely to top the Celtics, even with KG ailing, and they probably didn’t even want to. I can’t help but think Lawrence Frank should be taking a better look at some of the younger players on this roster, however. There’s no reason Villanueva should have taken 17 shots tonight. After all, there are only six games remaining this season. Given Frank’s track record with young guys, however, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

The Pistons travel to Minnesota this Saturday to face the Timberwolves to conclude this road trip, and as I just mentioned, there are only six games remaining in this season. It probably can’t end quickly enough.