Pistons use balance to cut down Nets for second victory of the season

When the Detroit Pistons lost by 30 points to the New York Knicks on Friday night, Cade Cunningham credited the team's embarrassing defeat to the subpar play of the first unit.

Nearly 48 hours later, the Pistons' starting five arguably put together their best showing of the season, resulting in a 106-92 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon at the Barclays Center.

The win gave the Pistons their second victory over the previous three games while improving their record to 2-5. For the first time this season, each player in Detroit's starting lineup scored in double figures, headlined by Tobias Harris. The veteran forward finished the game with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, six assists and five rebounds.

Harris' best quarter of the game came during the third period when he scored seven of Detroit's 31 points. However, he wasn't the only player who stepped up huge for the Pistons. Jalen Duren also added seven points and four rebounds during the frame. After back-to-back subpar performances, Duren finished with his most impactful game of the season with 13 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks.

The Pistons outscored the Nets 31-20 during the third quarter. This was a 180-degree turnaround from the mediocre start, in which Detroit trailed Brooklyn, 57-52, at the half.

With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Malik Beasley hit a 3-point basket as time expired on the shot clock. His 3-ball gave the Pistons a nine-point lead, 89-80. Beasley finished with 18 points in 28 minutes off the bench. His fourth triple of the night with 2:50 left in the final period gave Detroit a 101-87 lead.

The Nets jumped out to an early 10-4 lead following Cam Johnson's second 3-point field goal nearly three minutes into the first quarter. After Johnson's triple, coach J.B. Bickerstaff's timeout led to the Pistons finding a groove, leading to a 16-4 run.

Jaden Ivey played a significant role in Detroit gaining its momentum after a sluggish start. He scored six points during the quarter en route to a 15-point outing. He also added five assists and five rebounds in the win. Cunningham led the Pistons on the night with 19 points, six assists and six rebounds, while Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points on 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Johnson led the Nets with a team-high 26 points in the loss, while Cam Thomas added 17 points on 1-of-7 shooting from deep. He came into the game averaging 28.2 points.

Up next

The Pistons will close their back-to-back set on Monday in a home game against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 pm ET at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

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