Jalen Duren powered for 30 points and 13 rebounds and the host Detroit Pistons rolled past the injury-riddled Memphis Grizzlies, 126-110, on Friday night.
Cade Cunningham had 17 points and 15 assists, while Marcus Sasser supplied 16 points and Duncan Robinson added 14. Ronald Holland tossed in 12 points, Kevin Huerter had 11 and Isaiah Stewart chipped in 10 for Detroit. The Pistons shot 54.3% from the field.
The Pistons increased their lead in the Eastern Conference to five games over second-place Boston.
Javon Small’s 23 points led the Grizzlies. Ty Jerome had 21, Cam Spencer contributed 19 and Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 17 for the Grizzlies.
Detroit starting forward Ausar Thompson missed his fifth straight game due to an ankle sprain. Memphis had six players out of action, including three who have already been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
The Grizzlies have lost seven straight, while the Pistons ran their winning streak to three games following a four-game slide.
Memphis opened the second quarter on a 9-2 run, including five points from Jerome, to take a 44-39 lead. Detroit answered with a 10-0 spurt and held the lead the rest of the half.
The Pistons took a 68-61 lead to the locker room. Duren and Robinson scored 14 points apiece during the half, while Cunningham dished out nine assists. Small led the Grizzlies with 14 points.
Sasser gave Detroit a double digit lead at 73-63 with a 3-pointer. After Memphis pulled within three points, Sasser gave his club some breathing room with another 3-pointer.
The Pistons took control midway through the third with a 13-2 run. Duren had eight of those points and Sasser capped with a long ball, giving his team a 94-77 lead. In the final 32 seconds of the quarter, Cunningham set up Stewart for a dunk to give Detroit a 98-84 lead heading into the fourth.
Duren’s putback with 9:09 left pushed the Pistons’ advantage to 20 points.
–Field Level Media
