NBA roundup: Lowly Detroit Pistons stuns West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder as Hawks edges past Raptors

Detroit Pistons wins at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Bennedict Mathurin helps Pacers defeats Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks edges past the Toronto Raptors, which took its fifth loss straight.

Published : Jan 29, 2024 10:59 IST , USA - 2 MINS READ

 Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons celebrates during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA
Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons celebrates during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA | Photo Credit: AFP
infoIcon

Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons celebrates during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA | Photo Credit: AFP

The Detroit Pistons unleashed a dominating scoring run midway through the second half and the team with the NBA’s worst record earned a 120-104 home victory Sunday over the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jalen Duren scored 22 points and with a career-high 21 rebounds and Jaden Ivey added 19 points as the Pistons used a decisive 20-6 scoring burst from the late third into the fourth quarter to win for the second time in three games. Eight Pistons scored nine points or more, while Duren added six assists to his double-double.

Behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 13 of his game-high 31 points in the third quarter, Oklahoma City cuts a 14-point deficit to 87-84 with 4:21 remaining in the period.

Detroit answered with a 13-2 surge to close out the third, and the run carried over into the final quarter. The Pistons lead swelled to as many as 19 points thanks to balanced scoring and aggressive defense.

Pacers 116, Grizzlies 110

Bennedict Mathurin came off the bench to pour in a team-high 24 points as Indiana overcame the absence of All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton to beat visiting Memphis in Indianapolis.

Haliburton missed his fifth straight game due to a hamstring injury, but Mathurin had no problem stepping into the spotlight, making 9 of 14 shots from the floor while also grabbing seven rebounds. Pascal Siakam and Jalen Smith each added 19 points for the Pacers, with Smith also snatching 10 boards. Andrew Nembhard finished with 16 points and nine assists.

ALSO READ | LeBron James has triple-double and hits winning free throws, Lakers beat Warriors in double overtime

Jaren Jackson Jr. supplied a game-high 25 points for the Grizzlies, who were outshot 48.9 percent to 46.3 percent from the floor. Vince Williams Jr. chipped in 20 points and eight rebounds, while GG Jackson notched 18 points.

Hawks 126, Raptors 125

Saddiq Bey scored a season-high 26 points, including the game-winning dunk with one second remaining, as Atlanta ended a four-game losing streak by edging visiting Toronto.

The Raptors took a one-point lead with seven seconds left when Gradey Dick stole the ball and threw it to Scottie Barnes for a dunk. After calling timeout, the Hawks got the ball to Trae Young, who missed a floater, only to have Bey grab the offensive rebound and dunk it.

Bey also had 13 rebounds and was one of four Hawks with a double-double. Young had 30 points and 12 assists, Clint Capela had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Jalen Johnson had 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Raptors, who lost their fifth straight, were led by Barnes and Jordan Nwora, who both scored 24 points.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment