Pistons vs Spurs final score: In a game of runs, Detroit show out in front of fans in Texas

The Detroit Pistons duo continue to string dominant games together

When the schedule dropped, this was supposed to be a battle between two No. 1 picks in their breakout season. Cade Cunningham was ready for the duel, but Victor Wembanyama is out for the year with blood clots (get well soon, Wemby).

The Detroit Pistons guard didn’t disappoint playing in his home state. This game was played in Austin instead of San Antonio. Fresh off All-Star weekend, he carved up the Spurs with 25 points and 12 assists, shooting 8/10 from 2-point range and 3/4 from deep. That’s our All-NBA guard doing All-NBA things, but Tobias Harris kept Detroit in it early, and Jalen Duren’s fingerprints were all over this one. He dominated with a 21/15/5 stat line.

Point Ausar was a thing from the opening tip as he lined up in the PG spot again to receive a Jalen Duren back tap. Those two sparked a 9-2 Pistons run to start the game. We got an early Duren-to-Ausar lob followed by a Cade-to-Duren transition bucket that led to a Spurs timeout.

The All-Star break paid dividends for the Pistons. They were fresh and got off to a Flash-like start. Their first-quarter defense was handsy and active, forcing three turnovers in the first three minutes.

The tide in the first quarter shifted when Stephon Castle checked in. His speed and aggression immediately popped. He drilled a one-legged two to end the quarter, but the Pistons left the first with a 9-point advantage.

The momentum swung the Spurs way in the second. Keldon Johnson abused the backups and sparked a Spurs run. His infectious energy showed up with him getting shoulder-to-chest buckets and sky-scraping offensive rebounds. He got the crowd involved when he yelled into the Texas Longhorns crowd when San Antonio tied the game 39 a piece. He led the way with 28 points for San Antonio.

The Pistons starters couldn’t shake the Spur’s momentum initially. Newcomer DeeAron Fox charged the 10-0 run. He was a pest guarding Cade and poked the ball loose from him a few times in this one— he led the Spurs with 10 points in the 2nd. Tobias Harris didn’t dodge any smoke. He kept Detroit in the game, bailing them out with timely shots that kept the Spurs’ lead from snowballing. Harris led Detroit with 18 in the 1st half—he didn’t miss a shot, going 6/6 overall and sinking both of his triples. Detroit went on their own 10-2 run to snatch the lead back before the intermission. Shoutout to Tobias Harris.

“Jalen Duren has been a man and a half to start the second half.” I couldn’t agree more with George Blaha. Duren kept his foot on the Spurs’ neck to kick off the third. He played Bismack Biyombo off the floor with crafty post moves and brute strength.

Nothing changed when Sandro Mamukelashvili checked in, as Duren immediately got downhill against him, too. The Pistons’ lead grew larger: we got some nasty Cade finishes and some string music 3s between him and Tim Hardaway Jr. It’s only right that Malik Beasley got in on the 3-point action. He chipped in with 7 points in the period. Detroit manhandled San Antonio 38 to 18 in the 3rd. The Pistons left the Spurs shell-shocked and slammed the door on the Wemby-less Spurs.

This game was over before the 4th started, but that didn’t stop Detroit from adding to their season-long highlight tapes. Duren had two neck-turning dunks.

This lob from Cade should make Pistons fans think about the next few years of this combo. That is filthy. Duren’s been stringing together great games this entire month. He was more than a man amongst boys tonight. The playmaking for others and active defense pick in roll situations were still there, plus the highlight slams. This is the Duren that makes extension talks interesting.

The Pistons move to 30-26, staying put in the 6th seed. Orlando dropped a game to the Memphis Grizzles tonight, and the Heat snuck by Toronto on the road. Next up for the Pistons are the Atlanta Hawks . Detroit is looking to avenge their last loss to the Hawks, which came at the hands of an Ice Trae game-winner.