Pistons Handle Thunder, Hawks Win in Final Second
The Pistons, who currently hold the worst record in the league, figured to be a fairly easy matchup for the Thunder, the top-seeded team in the West, without the services of Cade Cunningham. This game, however, was Jalen Duren’s game and no one on the Thunder could find a way to contain the second-year athletic big man. The Thunder hopped out to a seven-point lead by the end of the first quarter, but the Pistons put up 46 points in the second frame and took a nine-point lead into halftime. Newly named All-Star starter and MVP candidate Shai Gileous-Alexander did his share with 31 points, and Jalen Williams added 20 of his own, but it was Duren who stole the show in Detroit. He feasted on the Thunder, especially on the boards, finishing with 22 points, 21 rebounds, and rebounds assists on an efficient 9/13 from the floor. His nine offensive rebounds generated the majority of his buckets; and if he wasn’t dunking it back, he was dishing out to open teammates for three pointers.
The Thunder drop to 32-14 and are tied for the one seed in the West with the Timberwolves. The two matchups today in Oklahoma City and it’ll have a playoff-like feel to it as the two young and up-and-coming teams jockey for the top spot in the conference heading into the All-Star break. The Pistons, now winners of two of the last three, improve to 6-40. While there will be no playoff hopes for the Pistons, racking up some wins and staying competitive will be in the cards. Snapping that losing streak did quite a lot for the team’s morale and mid-season mindset.
In another Sunday afternoon game, the Atlanta Hawks hosted the Toronto Raptors, who were severely short-handed in this one, missing Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poetl. The clash came down to the wire, with Hawks forward Saddiq Bey making a tip-in dunk for the game-winner with just 1.1 seconds remaining on the clock to win it for the Hawks 126-125. Despite going 0-6 from the three-point line in the game, Bey finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds on 8-18 shooting, while leading the team in free-throw attempts with 15. The Hawks starting five scored all but 10 of the team’s points, with Onyeka Okongwu the only Hawk off the bench to put the ball in the basket. The bench for the Raptors, on the other hand, was the reason that they managed to stay in it and put themselves in a position to win until the final seconds. Newly acquired Jordan Nwora recorded 24 points, nine rebounds, and six assists off the bench, while Gradey Dick and Jontay Porter chipped in 15 and 12, respectively.
