The Detroit Pistons put on a triumphant display in their matchup against the Dallas Mavericks in Mexico City. The Mavericks’ 122-110 victory marks their second win in a row, anchored by a breakthrough night by center Jalen Duren.
The Pistons’ 21-year-old big man looked unstoppable against the Mavs as he scored a career-high 33 points on 13-of-16 shooting. Dallas entered the game shorthanded due to key injuries in the frontcourt, and Detroit took full advantage. Duren was a scoring threat off alley-oops and creating his own looks off the dribble. Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was impressed by the efforts of his starting center from start to finish.
“Domination. He was phenomenal, putting pressure on the rim. He ran the floor, scored in a bunch of different ways. Worked the offensive boards for us, he dominated the interior,” Bickerstaff stated during his postgame media session.
Duren recorded his third double-double of the season by grabbing 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. He made the Mavs pay at the free-throw line from the contact he drew all game. Duren hit seven of his eight attempts, lifting his season average to 87.5% from the line.
Bickerstaff has emphasized how he wants Duren’s game to expand offensively. The Pistons are now 3-0 when Duren scores at least 20 points. His size and athleticism make him dangerous in transition, but now his confidence is growing when creating his own shots.
Detroit took care of the ball in tremendous fashion, recording 29 assists and only eight turnovers. Major credit for that production goes to All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham, who scored 21 points and tied a career high with 18 assists. He helped maximize the team’s possessions by only turning the ball over one time.
The Pistons’ offense was clicking with high efficiency, shooting 49.5% from the field. Their best production came in the interior, where they scored 72 points in the paint as a team. Cunningham facilitated a lot of those looks despite still seeing double teams by the Mavericks’ defense.
Cunningham finished last season as one of the most turnover-prone players in the NBA. The Pistons rely heavily on Cunningham’s production, and he was in clear command for Detroit’s offense against Dallas.
The pairing of Cunningham and Duren is developing into one of the most lethal tandems in the league. Detroit’s 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick spoke on the impact of his connection with Duren.
“He’s such a beast, he makes me look good. He makes my job easy. I always say running the break with JD and Ausar Thompson is the easiest job in the world. I’m thankful for my teammates for sure,” Cunningham said after the game.
Six different Pistons scored in double figures in Saturday night’s victory. Shooting guard Duncan Robinson had another hot shooting performance with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Forward Ausar Thompson scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Veteran Tobias Harris scored 11 points in 35 minutes of action. Backup center Isaiah Stewart scored 10 points and recorded two highlight blocks on the defensive end.