Cade Cunningham departs early, but Detroit Pistons hot late vs. Wizards
· Yahoo Sports
WASHINGTON – The Detroit Pistons lost Cade Cunningham to injury. Then, they picked up a win on the road.
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They defeated the Washington Wizards, 130-117, on Tuesday, March 17, bouncing back from a rough loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Cunningham exited the game midway through the first quarter with back spasms, but the Pistons were lifted by a career night from Jalen Duren and strong all-around shooting.
Duren led the way with a career-high 36 points and 12 rebounds. He iced the game with a fastbreak dunk at the 1:08 mark that pushed their lead to 17, 130-113. The Pistons shot 51.3% overall and 40.7% (11-for-27) from 3, while taking control of the game in the third quarter. After leading 63-57 at halftime, they opened the third period by outscoring the Wizards, 37-21.
The Pistons led by as many as 22 points and by double digits for most of the second half. Daniss Jenkins added 15 points and seven assists off of the bench. The Pistons were without Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain) for the second-straight game.
Detroit Pistons playoff picture
With the win, the Pistons (49-19) moved within a victory of their first 50-win season since 2007-08 (which was also the last time the franchise won a playoff series). The Pistons sit four games up on the Boston Celtics, who were idle Tuesday, in the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with 14 games to play. Detroit also stretched its lead in the Central Division to eight games over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who played later Tuesday.
Next up for the Pistons
The Pistons will hang around the nations capital for another couple days, as they face the Wizards for a second time this week at Capital One Arena on Thursday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Extra). A win would give the Pistons the season series against the Wizards, 3-1.
Daniss Jenkins back in rotation after Cade Cunningham injury
Jenkins didn't appear in Sunday's loss to the Raptors – his first time missing a game since the Pistons made him inactive on Feb. 5 to preserve his final game of two-way eligibility before inking him to a standard NBA contract. He balled out the next game following his new deal, scoring 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting in a win over the New York Knicks. Since then, he'd been in a slump.
In the previous 15 games entering Sunday, Jenkins averaged 5.9 points and 2.4 assists while shooting 32.3% overall and 20% (5-for-25) from 3. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff promoted Marcus Sasser to the starting lineup during Ausar Thompson's recent five-game absence, and Jenkins was benched after starting the Pistons' March 7 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
If Cunningham misses time, it'll give Jenkins an opportunity to capitalize on an all-around solid performance against the Wizards. He checked in during the second quarter and then started the second half over Sasser. A stepback 3-pointer from Jenkins midway through the fourth quarter extended their lead to 18, 115-97, with 5:40 remaining in the game.
Injuries starting to stack late in season
Cunningham's injury came on the same day the Pistons announced that Stewart will be re-evaluated in one week with a left calf strain, and a game after Thompson returned from a five-game absence with a right ankle sprain.
With less than a month remaining in the regular season, Bickerstaff has been finding opportunities for players such as Sasser and Kevin Huerter, who have had to fight for minutes in a deep rotation. Injuries have aided that process. The coaching staff will have to find a balance between keeping players healthy and maintaining their foot on the gas through the final 14 games. They won't rush Stewart or Cunningham back (if he misses time beyond Tuesday).
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons wallop Washington Wizards with Jalen Duren gem