DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons past the New Orleans Pelicans 129-108 on Thursday night.
Kevin Huerter had 22 points and Daniss Jenkins added 19 for Detroit, which was coming off a 130-129 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. The Pistons, normally one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league, shot 53.6% (15 of 28) from beyond the arc, including 9 of 14 from Huerter and Jenkins.
Zion Williamson scored 21 points for New Orleans, which lost its third straight after winning five of six. Former Piston Saddiq Bey added 17, but no one else scored more than 13. The Pelicans made things harder on themselves by only shooting 45.8% (11-24) from the free-throw line.
Detroit led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, but the Pelicans narrowed the margin to 92-88 on the first possession of the fourth.
The Pistons, though, hit their next five shots — including three 3-pointers — to outscore New Orleans 15-2 in three minutes. Pelicans coach James Borrego called a timeout that stopped the run, but the game had already gotten out of hand.
New Orleans led after the first quarter, but Detroit tightened on defense in the second. The Pelicans shot 40% (8 of 20) from the floor, missed all four 3-point attempts and only went 7 of 15 (46.7%) from the free-throw line. Duren had 13 points and seven rebounds in the quarter to help the Pistons build a 65-56 halftime lead.
Pelicans: Visit the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
Pistons: Visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
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