Jalen Duren led the Detroit Pistons with 30 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday’s 129-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Little Caesars Arena.
Discussing the team’s approach after Wednesday’s overtime loss to Atlanta, Duren said, “Especially after last night, you know, emotional loss, just coming back in, treating it kind of like my mind trying to treat it kind of like the playoffs… You might lose a game, a tough one, and you got to come back and reset and try to get the next one.”
The center came close to his first career triple-double, finishing three assists shy. “For me it’s just really about letting the game come to me, picking my spots, learning my spots, trying to, you know, be a connector for my teammates, get the ball moving, you know, handoff set good screens, get guys open looks. And then, you know the ball happens to just come back and find me,” he explained.
Duren highlighted the performance of Kevin Huerter, who scored 22 points in his first few weeks with Detroit. “Kev is nice, man… If you run him off the line, he can get in the paint, make plays, finish. And I think he’s meshed really well with the guys just in the locker room as a teammate. He’s been really cool and I’m excited for what he can bring to the team and to continue to grow with him.”
The Pistons’ defense played a key role in limiting New Orleans to 45.8% from the free-throw line. Duren praised teammate Ausar Thompson, who has been dominant on that end. “It shouldn’t go unseen. Like he’s the defensive player of the year for sure. What he does to ball handlers, harassing guys, getting through screens… He makes everybody’s job easy, whether it be the bigs in the pick and roll or rotations. He’s always in the passing lanes. Full court pressure, full court screens, it’s great,” Duren said.
With Cade Cunningham out of the lineup, Duren embraced a larger facilitator role. “I think it’s just about getting everybody involved… Just moving the ball on offense, getting from side to side, getting downhill plays and offensive rebounding. We don’t have our primary ball handler, so we got to move the ball, get guys open on back cuts and just share the rock. I do try to take that role of, if I get it in the middle, connecting, setting screens, good handoffs, rolling hard to create some good offense for everybody.”
Detroit overcame a third-quarter surge from the Pelicans, who briefly cut the lead to 92-88, with a 15-2 run over three minutes highlighted by Huerter and Daniss Jenkins. Duren emphasized the team’s focus in back-to-back situations. “Just taking care of the body, staying locked in, getting some rest… Back-to-backs are tough, but everybody has them. So yeah, just getting rest, keeping your body right, messing with the cold tub or hot tub, whatever the guys need and just get ready to play.”
The Pistons, now 52-20, remain atop the Eastern Conference, while New Orleans drops to 25-48. Detroit continues its road stretch against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, and the Pelicans travel to face the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
