Jalen Duren had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris scored 18 points apiece to lead the visiting Detroit Pistons to a 126-110 defeat of the skidding Chicago Bulls.
Detroit’s victory was its fifth consecutive win while sending the Bulls to their eighth straight loss, surpassing a seven-game skid from November 24-December 7.
The Pistons seized their largest lead of the night, 28 points, when Duncan Robinson connected on a trey with 7:16 remaining.
Robinson (17 points) and Paul Reed (15) also scored in double figures for the Pistons, who finished with a 68-38 edge in points in the paint. Cunningham dished 13 assists to go with nine rebounds.
Detroit outscored Chicago 44-26 in the third quarter to pull away. After making just three three-pointers in the first half, the Pistons went four-for-six from deep in the third quarter. Still, their top scorer in the period did his damage from inside the arc, as Duren was five-for-six from the floor for 10 points.
Duren returned after serving a two-game suspension for his role in a February 9 brawl at Charlotte. Reserve Isaiah Stewart served the third segment of his seven-game suspension stemming from the incident.
Chicago’s Josh Giddey scored a game-high 27 points while matching Robinson for the game high with five three-pointers. Matas Buzelis, Isaac Okoro and Jalen Smith each scored 15 points for the Bulls. Guerschon Yabusele contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Cunningham (15 points) and Duren (13) helped the Pistons to a 53-50 half-time lead. Detroit forced 13 Chicago turnovers before the break, but the Bulls made up the difference by shooting 45 per cent from the floor and 52.9 per cent from three-point range.
While the Pistons shot just 42.1 per cent themselves, they maintained poise. After a Buzelis lay-up tied the game at 37 apiece at the 7:41 mark, Reed answered with a lay-up on the ensuing possession. Detroit never relinquished the lead after that.
Giddey led the Bulls with 14 first-half points.
Chicago’s Anfernee Simons left in the first half with a left wrist injury. Teammate Jaden Ivey (left knee) missed the game and is expected to be out for at least two weeks.
