NBA: All-Stars Jalen Duren, Cade Cunningham power Pistons' rout of Nets

Jalen Duren, named an NBA All-Star for the first time prior to the game, scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the host Detroit Pistons crushed the Brooklyn Nets 130-77 on Sunday.

Fellow All-Star Cade Cunningham contributed 18 points, 12 assists, and four steals, helping the Pistons secure their eighth win in the last 10 games. Daniss Jenkins added 18 points in the opener of a four-game homestand, while Tobias Harris contributed 11 points and Marcus Sasser chipped in 10 for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons.

Cam Thomas and Drake Powell led the Nets with 12 points each, while Nic Claxton added 10. Brooklyn struggled offensively, shooting just 32.9% from the field and committing 25 turnovers. Leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. did not make the trip due to personal reasons. The Nets, who started three rookies for the second consecutive game, have dropped eight of their last nine contests.

Detroit held a slim 43-38 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half before exploding on a 24-6 run to take a 23-point advantage into halftime. The surge began with a Cunningham layup, and he continued to dominate the rest of the half, adding two more layups, a free throw, two steals, and his 10th assist of the period. Harris reached double digits with a late 3-pointer, and Ausar Thompson capped the half with a steal and a banked-in 41-foot shot at the buzzer.

The Pistons widened the gap in the second half, starting with a 13-0 run initiated by Duren with a layup. He also assisted on a Cunningham layup, made two free throws, and added two more layups before finishing with an alley-oop dunk to give Detroit an 80-44 lead. Nolan Traore finally ended the Nets’ scoring drought with a 3-pointer with 7:14 left in the quarter.

Detroit’s dominance continued as the lead swelled to as many as 45 points, finishing the quarter with a commanding 100-62 advantage.

-Field Level Media/Reuters