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A big night from Jalen Duren allowed the Detroit Pistons to weather a nailbiter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime.
Duren tied his career-high with 33 points with 16 rebounds and three blocks to help the Pistons defeat the Cavaliers in overtime, 122-119. Cade Cunningham also had a strong night with 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Cunningham, however, fouled out with 1:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Ausar Thompson added 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals to help the Pistons overcome a poor night from the 3-point arc, shooting 6-for-27 overall (22.2%) from deep. Daniss Jenkins added eight points and closed the game in Cunningham's stead, sinking three free throws awarded on a half-court heave with 4.7 seconds left in regulation to tie the game.
The Pistons opened overtime with a 6-0 run and made clutch defensive plays down the stretch to hold on, including a block by Jenkins with 1:15 remaining and a steal by Duren in the final minute.
Detroit Pistons playoff picture
The win for the Pistons (44-14) kept pace with the Celtics, who also won on Friday, to keep Detroit's lead in the Eastern Conference at five games. The Pistons did, however, widen the gap in the Central Division, climbing to 8½ games ahead of the Cavaliers with 24 games to play.
Next up for the Pistons
After a week packed with NBA Finals contenders, the Pistons will get a little bit of a break as they head to Central Florida to face the Orlando Magic (31-27) on Sunday (6 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit). The Magic entered the season with championship hopes, but enter Saturday at seventh in the East.
Jenkins clutch after Cunningham fouls out
Jenkins stepped up late in the fourth quarter and overtime after Cunningham fouled out as the Pistons faced a 109-105 deficit.
A steal and dunk by Tobias Harris at the 1:25 mark cut it to two, and the Pistons got within one, 110-109, with 48.4 seconds left following a pair of free throws from Duren.
Down 114-111 with 4.7 seconds left, Jenkins shot a deep 3-pointer as Jaylon Tyson tried to intentionally foul him. Jenkins was awarded the shooting foul and made all three at the line, and the game was sent into overtime after Duren rejected ex-Piston Dennis Schröder's game-winning attempt at the rim.
Duren opened the extra period with a pair of free throws, and Jenkins followed with a driving layup, followed by a drive and dump-off pass to Duren for another layup to give the Pistons a 120-114 lead. The Cavaliers answered, though, with a 3-pointer from Tyson and layup from Schröder cutting it to one with under two minutes remaining.
With 1:15 on the clock, Jenkins was initially called for a foul on a layup attempt by Porter. But after a challenge, Jenkins was awarded the block and the ball – a big defensive stop that allowed them to preserve their 120-119 lead.
Duren thrives against big frontcourt, steps up post-Cunningham
With Isaiah Stewart suspended, the Pistons had a size disadvantage against the Cavaliers’ twin-tower frontcourt. It didn’t play out that way on the floor, though, largely thanks to Duren.
The bruising big had little trouble creating space and finishing against both Mobley and Allen. The Pistons went to him early and he got on the board in the first quarter, grabbing his own offensive rebound after getting blocked by Mobley and finishing right through the opposing big man’s body. The following possession, he stepped through and made a layup between both Mobley and Allen.
With Cunningham on the bench in overtime, Duren stepped up with two of the Pistons' first three buckets to build a six point lead. He went 3-for-6 at the line in the fourth quarter but made four consecutive free throws – two in the final minute of the fourth and two to open overtime – bringing him to 33 points, tying a season high, and his fourth 30-point game this season.
Duren also made big defensive plays at the end of the game. He blocked the game-winning layup attempt by Schröder, had a verticality contest on Porter in overtime to prevent a bucket and then stole the ball from Mobley with roughly 42 seconds remaining, setting up Harris' dagger midrange jumper on the other end.
On another night when the Pistons struggled to knock down 3-pointers, Duren was one of their most reliable scoring options and continued his streak of games with at least 20 points. Friday was his fourth straight game with at least 25 points, his most dominant offensive stretch of the season.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons rally in final 3 minutes of regulation, clip Cavs in OT