The Detroit Pistons showed it’s not all doom and gloom as they wait for a potential return from Cade Cunningham.
The Eastern Conference leaders ripped off a big second quarter to win their third straight, 115-105, over the Golden State Warriors on Friday, March 20, at Little Caesars Arena.
Jalen Duren had 23 points and Daniss Jenkins – starting in place of Cunningham while the All-Star guard recovers from a collapsed lung – came close to a triple-double, with 22 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, plus a steal. Speaking of steals, Ausar Thompson had seven for the Pistons, who forced 26 turnovers which led to 32 points.
Paul Reed had 15 points, Tobias Harris tossed in 13 and Duncan Robinson and Ron Holland added 11 apiece for the Pistons, who opened a four-game homestand.
In addition to Cunningham’s absence, the Pistons were without Marcus Sasser (hip) and Isaiah Stewart (calf). The Warriors, who were without Steph Curry, Seth Curry, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford (Grand Ledge), Moses Moody and Quinten Post, had a 26-21 lead heading into the second quarter, but the Pistons dropped 36 points on Golden State to head into halftime with a seven-point lead.
Golden State was led by Brandon Podziemski, who had 15 points on 4-for-10 shooting.
Detroit Pistons playoff picture
With the win, the Pistons improved to 51-19 with just a dozen games left to play. They stretched their lead over the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the Eastern Conference to 4½ games, though the Celtics also played on Friday night, in Memphis. The Pistons also increased their lead in the Central Division to eight games, meaning they could clinch their first division title since 2008 sometime next week.
Next up for the Pistons
But first, they’ll need to take down the next visitor to Little Caesars Arena, the LA Lakers (45-25). LeBron James & Co. hit Detroit on Monday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit) and have not lost since March 5, a run of eight straight wins. The Lakes visit the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
Welcome home, Draymond?
It wasn’t the most pleasant of homecomings for Draymond Green, who starred in high school in Saginaw and then at Michigan State before embarking on a 14-season NBA career, all spent with the Warriors. Green started for the Warriors but went scoreless in 22 minutes, racking up five rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block.
Second (period) wind
Robinson scored 10 of his 11 first-half points during the second period. Detroit shot 52.3% before the break while forcing 13 turnovers.
With the score 62-56 in the third, the Pistons went on an 18-5 run to extend their lead to 19 points. Detroit scored the first seven points during the surge, including a pair of Thompson layups.
Another Thompson layup off a Duren feed made it 73-59. A Jenkins putback pushed the lead to 18. Reed capped the outburst with a layup off a Jenkins pass for an 80-61 lead.
After the Warriors got within 14 to end the third quarter, the Pistons opened the fourth with a 10-0 spurt. Duren scored seven of those points and Caris LeVert finished it off with a layup to make it 97-73.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons beat Golden State Warriors for 3rs straight win
About the Author
