Fresh off being named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve, Jalen Duren delivered a dominant performance Sunday night as the Detroit Pistons overwhelmed the Brooklyn Nets 130-77, the largest victory margin in franchise history.
Detroit’s 53-point blowout surpassed its previous record of 52 points, set in a 118-66 win at Boston on Jan. 31, 2003. The Nets, meanwhile, absorbed another lopsided defeat this month after a 54-point loss to New York on Jan. 21.
Duren finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow All-Star Cade Cunningham continued his stellar season with 18 points, 12 assists and four steals. Cunningham, earlier named an Eastern Conference starter, helped the Pistons improve to an NBA-best 36-12 with their second straight win. Detroit closed a three-game road trip at 2-1 after beating Golden State on Friday.
The Pistons seized control early. Cunningham piled up 13 points, 10 assists and four steals in the first half as Detroit surged to a 67-44 halftime lead, capped by Ausar Thompson’s half-court buzzer-beater.
Any hope of a Brooklyn rally vanished after halftime. Detroit outscored the Nets 33-18 in the third quarter to stretch the margin to 100-62, eventually building a lead as large as 55 points.
Cam Thomas and Drake Powell scored 12 points apiece for Brooklyn, which fell to 13-35. Rookie Egor Demin went 0 for 4 from beyond the arc, snapping his NBA rookie record streak of 34 consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer. Nets leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. did not play for personal reasons.
Up next:
The Nets return home to host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, while the Pistons continue their homestand Tuesday against Denver.
