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Detroit claim Jordan McRae off waivers, look for scoring punch

In need of healthy bodies, the Pistons claimed guard Jordan McRae off waivers Wednesday. He will be available to play in Wednesday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder . McRae, who was put on waivers Monday by the Denver Nuggets, brings scoring punch off the bench to the Pistons, who are now without Derrick Rose (ankle sprain) for at least two weeks and perhaps the rest of the season. Guards Luke Kennard (knees) and Bruce Brown (knee contusion) remain out. "He's a professional scorer," Pistons coach Dwane Casey said Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena. McRae, 6 feet 5 and 179 pounds, was having a career season for the Washington Wizards before being dealt to the Nuggets one month ago at the trade deadline. In 29 games with the Wizards, he averaged 12.8 points and 2.8 assists over 22.6 minutes per game, shooting 37.7% from 3-point range on 3.7 attempts per game. He did not crack the deep rotation in Denver, playing in four games before his release. McRae, who turns 29 on March 28, was initially expected to be claimed by the Phoenix Suns, according to reports, but the Pistons (20-42) had the No. 6 claim, ahead of the Suns (24-38) at No. 10. The Pistons inherit McRae's $1.64 million cap hit, but are only financially responsible for about a quarter of his contract ($40,000) with 20 games left this season. A second-round pick in 2014 after four seasons at Tennessee, McRae has averaged 6.7 points over 119 career NBA games, playing for Phoenix, Cleveland, Washington and Denver. Follow Marlowe Alter on Twitter: @Marlowe Alter .