NBA: Jalen Duren, Kevin Huerter lead Pistons past Pelicans

Jalen Duren dominated inside with 30 points and 10 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons cruised to a 129-108 victory over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night, marking Detroit’s fifth win in six games.

Duren also contributed seven assists, two blocks, and two steals for the Eastern Conference leaders.

The Pistons (53-20) had their four-game winning streak snapped by the red-hot Atlanta Hawks in Wednesday’s overtime loss but showed no signs of fatigue against New Orleans (25-49), which has dropped three straight games.

Detroit was without several key guards. All-Star Cade Cunningham missed his fifth consecutive game with a collapsed lung, Duncan Robinson sat out due to a hip injury, and backup Caris LeVert was sidelined with knee soreness.

Kevin Huerter, filling in for Robinson, scored 22 points, while Daniss Jenkins, replacing Cunningham, added 19 points and nine assists. Tobias Harris contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, and Ausar Thompson chipped in 11 points with three steals.

Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 21 points. Saddiq Bey added 17 points, Jeremiah Fears had 13 points and six assists, and Dejounte Murray finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Detroit took a 48-46 lead before going on a nine-point run to open a double-digit advantage, capped by a Huerter 3-pointer. Duren scored 17 points by halftime as the Pistons led 65-56, with Jenkins adding 11 first-half points. Williamson paced New Orleans with 13 points in the first half.

The Pistons held a 15-point lead late in the third quarter, but the Pelicans responded with an 11-2 run to close within 92-86, including five points from Bey. Early in the fourth, Fears’ layup cut Detroit’s lead to four, but Huerter and Javonte Green hit consecutive 3-pointers to rebuild the margin.

Jenkins’ 3-pointer with 8:45 remaining extended the lead to 107-90. Another long-range shot from Green pushed the advantage to 119-100, sealing the Pistons’ comfortable win.

-Field Level Media/Reuters