The Pistons beat the Kings, 136-127, to improve to 24-6 this season. The Pistons led 121-100 after a Duncan Robinson three-pointer with 11:08 left in the game. But a late 10-2 run by the Kings cut their lead to 129-120, with 3:10 left.
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DeMar DeRozan (37 points, eight assists) cut the score to nine again with a layup at 1:37, and Russell Westbrook (27 points) cut it to eight with a split shot at the foul line with just under a minute left. But Ausar Thompson hit a pair of free throws at the other end to bring the score to double digits and give the Pistons enough cushion.
Jalen Duren (23 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks) and Cade Cunningham (23 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds, five steals) had double-doubles. Cunningham had a season-low nine turnovers. Tobias Harris led the team with 24 points, and Thompson (19 points, six rebounds) and Isaiah Stewart (16 points) also reached double figures.
Ron Holland (sprained left knee) missed his second straight game for the Pistons, who hold a three-game lead in the Eastern Conference over the New York Knicks.
It was a dominant first half for the Pistons, who set a season high for points scored (75) and tied their biggest lead in the first half (17). They shot 62% in total, were 7 of 14 on three-pointers and dished out 21 assists on four turnovers. Defensively, they held the Kings to 42.2% overall and just 3 of 15 (20%) from behind the arc.
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They led by double digits for most of the second half even though Sacramento built a significant lead in total free throw attempts, 30 to 12, over the first three periods. Harris beat the third-quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer and Cunningham opened the fourth quarter with a 3-point play to increase their lead to 21, 118-97.
Overall, it was one of the Pistons’ best offensive nights of the season. His 38 assists surpassed his previous season high of 34, and he finished the night with a 53.7% overall.
Pistons off to best 30-game start in 20 years
Only the 2005-06 Pistons, who went 25-5 in their first 30 games and won a franchise-best 64 games, are off to a better start than this Pistons team.
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According to Cleaning The Glass, the Pistons are tied with the Denver Nuggets for the fourth-best point differential in the league (+8.4), which is points scored per 100 possessions minus points allowed per 100 possessions. In simpler terms, they have been strong on both ends of the floor. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets are ahead.
They have the second-best defense in the NBA (109.3 defensive rating) and the ninth-best offense (117.7 offensive rating). The Pistons have four more wins than the New York Knicks, who sit in second place in the Eastern Conference, and six more wins than the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors.
Duren dominates the paint and dominates the third quarter
A night earlier, the Portland Trail Blazers didn’t have an answer for Duren’s physicality. He finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and a steal on 11-of-15 shooting overall. One night later, in Sacramento, he picked up where he left off.
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Duren scored 14 of his xx points in the third quarter on perfect 6-of-6 shooting, finishing the night xx of xx overall. It’s the first time Duren scored at least 20 in consecutive games since Nov. 17 and 18, when he scored 31 and 24 points, respectively, in wins over the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Pistons’ game score against Kings is 136-127, led by Cade Cunningham