Detroit Pistons dominate San Antonio Spurs, win fifth-straight by double digits, 125-110
AUSTIN, Texas — The Detroit Pistons picked up right where they left off.
They tipped off their 27-game post-All Star break run with a 125-110 blowout of the San Antonio Spurs at Moody Center on the University of Texas campus Friday, extending their strong run of basketball from the previous two months. The Pistons (30-26) have won five straight games, all by double digits, and are 19-9 since Dec. 21. It was also their Detroit’s third straight road win, including back-to-back victories over the Chicago Bulls last week.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 25 points and 12 assists while Jalen Duren also had a dominant double-double with 21 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. Tobias Harris (22 points, seven rebounds) and Malik Beasley (16 points) also scored in double figures.
The Spurs were without former No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, who was ruled out for the season on Thursday following a blood clot diagnosis. They were led by Keldon Johnson (28 points) and trade deadline-acquisition De’Aaron Fox (27 points).
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The Pistons opened with a 13-2 run, forcing three Spurs turnovers while holding them to 1-for-3 shooting in the first five minutes. They expanded the lead to 13, 30-17, with back-to-back Beasley 3-pointers later in the period.
With Cunningham on the bench, the Spurs rallied, with Chris Paul capping a 19-5 run with a 3-pointer that gave them their first lead of the night, 42-41, midway through the second. Cunningham’s return didn’t initially slow their momentum, and the Piston gave up a 33-11 run before a late 3-pointer from Cunningham gave Detroit the lead at halftime again, 63-62.
The Pistons pounced in the third, opening the second half with a 16-0 run. Cunningham capped the stretch with a pullup 3-pointer, giving them a 15-point lead, 79-64, with 7:28 on the clock. The Pistons ended the period with their biggest lead of the night, 101-80.
Entering the game, the Pistons were among the NBA’s most dominant interior teams. In their previous 11 games, they had outscored opponents by an average of 16 points in the paint. That’s largely thanks to Duren, who has formed a potent pick-and-roll lob duo with Cunningham as he has a career year efficiency-wise, and Isaiah Stewart, who has done his part off the bench.
With Wembanyama out for the rest of the season, the Pistons appeared to have a juicy opportunity against veteran center Bismack Biyombo, who drew the starting assignment during his second 10-day contract with the Spurs. The Pistons pounced early, scoring 14 of their first 19 points in the paint to build an early 13-point lead. Duren got in on their early success, finding Ausar Thompson in transition for an alley-oop before finishing a transition slam himself.
The Pistons owned the paint coming out of halftime following a weak second quarter, outscoring the Spurs 24-6 at the rim during a dominant third that clinched the win early. The Spurs had no answer for Duren or Thompson, who grabbed four offensive rebounds in the first five minutes of the game and thrived in his usual roles as a lob threat and in the dunker’s spot.
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Friday was Harris’ ninth time in 10 games scoring in double figures, and his sixth in seven with at least 18 points. The veteran has been the epitome of efficiency in that stretch, shooting 53.7% in nine games prior to going 8-for-10 against the Spurs.
Head oach J.B. Bickerstaff has called Harris a “security blanket” for the group, and his play since Jan. 1 has shown why. He has stepped into a secondary scoring role since Jaden Ivey’s injury, and he’s back above 46% shooting this season after a sluggish start.
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Duren leads paint dominance
Harris stays hot
Cade Cunningham leads Pistons to fifth straight win
Cade Cunningham amassed 25 points and 12 assists to lead a balanced Detroit attack as the Pistons took charge in the third quarter and strolled to a 125-110 win over the short-handed San Antonio Spurs on Friday in Austin, Texas.
The game was the second in two nights for the Spurs in the Texas capital, their home away from home, and the eighth of their 12-game rodeo road trip. San Antonio, playing without star center Victor Wembanyama, was the worse for the wear, running out of gas in the second half after leading by as many as 10 points late in the second quarter.
Detroit, which equaled a season high with its fifth straight win, grabbed the lead on a Cunningham basket just before halftime and stretched its advantage to 101-80 on Malik Beasley’s 3-pointer with 34 seconds to play in the third quarter.
The Spurs never made a charge in the fourth, losing for the second time in their past three games.
Tobias Harris added 22 points, Jalen Duren racked up 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Beasley had 16 points for Detroit.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 28 points off the bench while De’Aaron Fox added 27, Stephon Castle had 12 and Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 10.
The Pistons took charge early on, breaking away from a 2-2 tie with an 11-0 run capped by Cunningham’s driving hook shot at the 8:49 mark of the first quarter and led 36-27 after 12 minutes of play.
The Spurs got back in the game with a 12-3 run to start the second quarter and took their first lead of the game when Chris Paul canned a 3-pointer at the 7:55 mark. San Antonio stretched its advantage to 10 points on a three-point play by Fox with 3:23 left.
Detroit ended the half with a 16-5 run culminated by Cunningham’s 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining and carried a 63-62 advantage into the break.
Harris led all scorers before halftime with 18 points while Cunningham had 10. Fox paced the Spurs with 17 points, Johnson hit for 13 and Castle added 10 in the first half.
Detroit continued its run after halftime, scoring the first 13 points of the third quarter to build its lead to 76-62.
–Field Level Media
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Photos: Spurs vs Pistons | 02/21/25
1 / 37February 21, 2025, Austin, TX:
San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili shoots a layup during the second quarter of the i35 Series game against the Detroit Pistons at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas Friday, February 21, 2025.
(Photo by Reginald Thomas II/San Antonio Spurs)
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