NBA: Jalen Duren exits early as Pistons dominate Wizards again

The Detroit Pistons delivered another dominant performance on Thursday night, cruising to a 117-95 win over the Washington Wizards behind a strong showing from Jalen Duren.

Duren led the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds, building on his recent offensive surge. Just two days after posting a career-high 36 points, he remained efficient, shooting 9-of-15 from the field before exiting late in the third quarter for an undisclosed reason. His presence in the paint helped Detroit control the interior from start to finish.

Off the bench, Paul Reed provided a valuable spark with 17 points, while Duncan Robinson added 14 points, knocking down four shots from beyond the arc. Caris LeVert and Kevin Huerter also contributed 14 points apiece, rounding out a balanced offensive effort for Detroit.

The victory came just hours after the Pistons announced that star guard Cade Cunningham has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Despite his absence, Detroit showed depth and resilience, improving to 50-19 and reaching the 50-win mark for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

Detroit dominated statistically, outscoring Washington 66-26 in the paint and holding a commanding 56-35 rebounding advantage. Ausar Thompson chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds, while Daniss Jenkins struggled in a starting role, finishing with nine points on 3-of-16 shooting.

For Washington, Tristan Vukcevic led the team with 21 points off the bench, and rookie Will Riley added 15. However, the Wizards fell to 16-53 and extended their losing streak to 14 games.

Detroit set the tone early, racing to a 35-14 lead after the first quarter and extending it to 40-15 early in the second. Although Washington mounted a brief comeback and cut the deficit to five late in the second quarter, the Pistons regained control before halftime.

The second half followed a similar pattern. Robinson opened the third quarter with back-to-back three-pointers, helping Detroit maintain a comfortable cushion. While the Wizards trimmed the deficit to 10 entering the fourth, the Pistons quickly pulled away again. A three-pointer by LeVert pushed the lead to 104-88 midway through the final quarter, effectively sealing the outcome. -Field Level Media/Reuters