Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Cade Cunningham scored 27 points and reserve Daniss Jenkins delivered a dazzling 25 as NBA Eastern Conference leaders Detroit held off Cleveland 114-110 on Sunday. Down three key contributors in Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren, and Caris LeVert, the Pistons came up with a big win against a Cavaliers team that had taken 13 of the prior 14 clashes between the two teams.
Star guard Cunningham added six rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a blocked shot. But Jenkins stole the show with a monster 21-point second quarter in which he made all seven of his shots — including six three-pointers. “My teammates were just finding me and I was open,” said Jenkins, who is playing on a two-way contract. “I was given space and the key to the game was (if) you’ve got an open shot, you’ve got to shoot. They packed the paint a lot, so I just stepped into it with confidence and let it slide.”
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The Pistons outscored the Cavs 47-28 in the period to seize control, erasing an early nine-point deficit to take a 10-point lead into halftime. The Cavs, led by 30 points from Donovan Mitchell, whittled a 13-point deficit to two with 1:16 remaining and were within two again with 3.8 seconds left, but Jenkins made two free throws to seal it.
Detroit were a perfect 21-for-21 from the free-throw line, Cunningham making 11 and Jenkins five as they pushed their Eastern Conference lead over the New York Knicks to three games. Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers matched a franchise record for futility with their 12th straight defeat, falling 135-127 to the Magic in Orlando.
The Pacers have been a shadow of the team that fell in last season’s NBA Finals, with a string of players hit by injuries since star Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the championship series that will cost him all of this campaign. Pacers forward Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 34 points, but the Magic — led by 31 points from Desmond Bane — seized control with a 17-0 run in the second quarter and held on in the face of a late Pacers surge.
The Pacers have now dropped 12 straight for the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 1989.
© 2024 AFP
