The Detroit Pistons own sole possession of the NBA’s longest winning streak, which now stretches to 10 games as the Jalen Duren-led squad beat the Pacers by 15 points at home, 127-112. In his return from injury, Duren was a dominant force in the paint with 31 points and 15 rebounds, and he did so at another remarkably efficient clip. Duren went 12-for-13 from the field for a 92.3% rate, and his monster night terrorizing the Pacers helped Detroit collect its 10th consecutive victory.

With the win, the Pistons still stand in first place of the Eastern Conference, and Detroit needed the boost of Duren’s return since Cade Cunningham missed his third straight contest tonight. Still, the Pistons stuck to their recipe for success– a stingy defense, a consistent offensive presence in the paint and a quick-fire transition game to connect the two. Tonight’s win also marked Duren’s third 30-point game of the season. 

As a byproduct of the Pistons’ win tonight, the Pacers have fallen to 1-13 on the season, which is the franchise’s worst start after 14 games. Detroit had three players score at least 20 points tonight with Daniss Jenkins and Javonte Green both coming up big in their ever-expanding roles on the Pistons’ squad. 

Jalen Duren Dominates In Return

While the Pistons were able to keep their winning streak alive without Duren recently, Detroit sorely missed a huge facet of its game when JD’s scoring in the paint was unavailable. And in his first game back, Duren looked as sharp as ever by showing off several aspects of his still-growing skill set.

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Duren, who turns 23 on Tuesday, fulfilled his role as a lob threat against the Pacers as expected, but the Detroit center knocked down a couple mid-range jumpers that showcased a dangerous element of the All-Star candidate’s game. Before knocking down one shot from the top of the key, Duren hit a series of slick crossover dribbles that would’ve made Cunningham proud. On top of that, Duren took the ball from the target position up top on a couple occasions and drove left-handed to the bucket for high-percentage shots at the rim. So overall, Duren brought a ton to the table on the offensive end against Indiana, and he complimented that scoring with a glass-clearing effort of 15 rebounds as well.

Daniss Jenkins Continues To Shine

While it’s a huge ask to fill in for Cunningham, no task is too tall for Jenkins as the second-year point guard dazzled once again with 26 points and eight assists. Jenkins has shown a steadiness to his game that Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff appreciates, and Jenkins once again worked the floor well and directed traffic as Detroit lodged a double-digit victory on the front end of a back-to-back.

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Given his style of play, it’s become clear that Jenkins has been influenced, even if only partially, by Cunningham’s style of play. Both guards like to battle physically and are active in winning hustle plays, and the two share a similar ability to pivot around the floor and get to their spots on offense effectively. As a result, Jenkins has been able to keep the Pistons’ offense humming while Cunningham recovers from a hip contusion. 

Apart from those two huge performances, the Pistons benefited from a trio of Duncan Robinson shots from behind the arc in the first quarter. Robinson finished with 13 points on the night, so much of his contribution came early on in the win. And rounding out Detroit’s primary scorers, Green had another strong showing with 20 points on 63.3% shooting, showing a versatility to his game in his ability to score both with his jumper and when driving the lane. 

Now riding the NBA’s longest winning streak at 10 games, the Detroit Pistons head to Atlanta for a 7:30 pm tip-off against the 9-5 Hawks tomorrow night. 

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