No resolutions

The Timberwolves and Detroit said goodbye to 2015 and rang in 2016 with Thursday's game at the Palace of Auburn Hills, but neither Sam Mitchell nor Pistons/GM coach Stan Van Gundy expected to be a changed man in the coming year.

"I make resolutions all the time," Van Gundy said. "Some I do a better job on than others. But they are as likely to come on June 12 as January 1. I'm not a big New Year's resolution guy."

When asked if he believed in such things, Mitchell said, "No, because I'm never going to keep it anyway."

There's a D in Aldridge

Now that he has coached La Marcus Aldridge for three months, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich promises he's even more impressed with the former All-Star than he was coaching against him all those years when Aldridge played for Portland.

"He's a better defender and rebounder than I expected," Popovich said. "He changes shots. We all knew he could score. He's a big factor in our defense being better this year."