The Detroit Pistons took a scoring-by-committee approach to their 22-point victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night
On a night without Ausar Thompson in the lineup, the Detroit Pistons cruised to a 22-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers thanks in large part to a major contribution from the team’s bench.
In Detroit’s 131-109 victory, the Pistons received a major boost from their reserves with 69 points in a matchup where their All-Star point guard, Cade Cunningham, was held to single digits (eight points) in the lopsided win. Cunningham stuck to his role as a creator on Thursday night by logging 13 assists without playing at all during the fourth quarter, and the Pistons led for the entire game against an injury-riddled Sixers squad.
Without Cunningham making much of a dent from a scoring perspective, Jalen Duren chipped in with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but the All-Star center was able to take a backseat role against Philadelphia. JD played just 15 minutes, which underscores how the Pistons were in the driver’s seat from start to finish versus the 76ers.
“Just trying to do what I can, doing what my teammates need me to do,” Duren said after the game before noting his team’s bench production. “It’s great. I feel like we always had a deep team, guys who can contribute on both ends of the floor, and it showed tonight. So, as we continue to stack games and go on to the postseason, that’s huge.”
Duren went on to add that his confidence is “through the roof” right now with the Pistons in first place in the Eastern Conference. Part of JD’s belief in his teammates comes from performances like tonight where Detroit’s role players are able to come through with key efforts, such as Duncan Robinson with 19 points on 5-for-7 shooting from three-point range or Javonte Green with 17 points on four triples himself.
For Ron Holland, the Pistons second-year forward had another emotionally charged effort with 15 points (4-for-7 FGs) and three rebounds. In the first half, Holland was flung to the ground after a contested look at the bucket, but Holland was able to laugh off the spill with Cunningham after the play.
Kevin Huerter also added a pair of three-pointers in the Pistons’ controlled demolition of the Sixers for 12 points on his largest shot diet since joining Detroit. Huerter put up 13 shots overall as the versatile wing looks to catch a rhythm with his new squad, and Isaiah Stewart had another strong performance with 13 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting night. Beef Stew grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists and blocked two shots in a well-rounded contribution for Detroit’s defensive anchor.
Next up, the Pistons have a quick turnaround with another contest tomorrow night against the Memphis Grizzlies at home at 7:30 pm.
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