SALT LAKE CITY — The Detroit Pistons’ 134-106 win over the Utah Jazz was so dominant that fans at Delta Center started heading for the exits before the fourth quarter began. The Pistons scored at least 30 points in each quarter while the Jazz reached the 30-point plateau only in the third.
Detroit’s defense has stifled opponents during its stretch of winning 10 of its last 11 games and Monday was no different.
The Pistons now enter Tuesday with a 35-27 record, are sixth in the Eastern Conference and are one game in on their most important road trip this season.
Now, Detroit will look to carry over its success from the bulk of February into March. The Pistons begin their road trip with the NBA’s best defensive rating (105.7) over the last 11 contests while ranking 21st in remaining strength of schedule, per NBA.com. There’s a lot at stake for Detroit in an Eastern Conference where six games separate the third and sixth seeds.
Below, we’ll discuss Jalen Duren’s defensive growth, the best- and worst-case scenarios for the Pistons, how their defense has ascended to this point and more.
Jalen Duren’s defensive growth
While Detroit’s defensive performance over its last 11 games as a unit has been impressive, Duren has been the anchor. He’s averaging 13.6 points on 72 percent from the field, 11.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game during that span. The 21-year-old center also has a combined plus-143 over the last 11.
“He wants to block shots,” Ausar Thompson said of Duren after the win over Utah. “He wants to make the extra effort. It seems like he has something to prove. He was a great two-way player tonight. He was going at his matchup every play and trying to block every shot.”
Duren finished with 16 points, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, blocked a game-high four shots, had two steals and two assists. And for good measure, he was a game-high plus-31.
To Thompson’s point about Duren’s desire to block shots, Duren has blocked 10 shots in his last two games. He is also making a concerted effort to contest shots at the rim than earlier in the season.
Even when Duren subs out, in comes Isaiah Stewart, who is averaging a career-best 1.4 blocks this season in 19.8 minutes per game. The two make up what is known in Detroit’s locker room as the “Dawg Pound.” Although Stewart was sidelined Monday because of a back contusion, Duren still managed to block four shots — three more than the Jazz did as a team.
“Having (Duren) and (Stewart) at the rim every time, it’s hard for guys to score over them,” Cade Cunningham said of his big men Monday. “Then we’ve got length on the perimeter. “We’ve got a lot of guys that can guard their yard. And if you beat us, you’ve got to deal with (Duren and Stewart) every time.”
As of late, Duren has been enjoying meeting offensive players at the summit to block shots as much as he has dunking on defenders. While those watching Duren may be impressed with his recent play, he was business as usual after Monday’s win.
“Just trying to do my job and do what I can do to help the team win,” Duren said from his locker at Delta Center. “Everybody’s got their role and that’s one of my roles, to protect the paint.
“Just trying to take that part of my job as serious as the offensive end.”
Road trip best- and worst-case scenarios
Of course, the best-case scenario at the end of this road trip would be the Pistons going a perfect 4-0 and likely positioning themselves for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, along with the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers. Detroit has taken that first step after defeating Utah.
Yet, even if the Pistons managed to lose its next three games on this trip, Detroit would remain in front of the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic in the No. 6 spot in the East.
The Pistons continue their road trip against the LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers. The Clippers and Warriors are hovering around the final playoff spot in the West, while the Blazers have won 15 of their last 21 games.
Golden State has found its rhythm, winning eight of its last 10. But the Warriors have two more road games in New York before meeting the Pistons on Saturday, Feb. 8 in San Francisco.
The Pistons have already defeated the Clippers and Blazers this season, so both meetings will present Detroit an opportunity to sweep the season series. Monday’s win over the Jazz evened the season series with Utah. As for the Warriors, the Pistons will seek to even the season series with a win in their only trip to San Francisco this season.
Detroit has won 12 of its last 16 games on the road, which includes a five-game winning streak away from home. It appears this unit has built some comfort in opposing teams’ home arenas, including impressive victories against the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks.
How Pistons have built NBA’s best defense over last 11 games
The Pistons have the best defensive rating over the last 11 games at 105.7.
Last year, Detroit finished its season ranked 25th in the NBA in defensive rating at 118 and it ranked second-to-last in net rating behind the Charlotte Hornets at minus-nine. The Pistons also ranked last in the association in steals per game and were 20th in the league in blocks per game last season.
This season, Detroit’s defensive rating has been boosted by being tied for third in blocks (6.1) and steals (10.3) per game during these last 11 games. The Pistons are also second in points off turnovers (21.9) in this stretch. Plus, they are third in opponent field-goal percentage (43.6). For good measure, Detroit is limiting opponents to 44.2 paint points, tied for second-best in the association.
The Pistons’ starting lineup has been particularly potent against other starting units during their last 10 games. Cunningham, Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, Thompson and Duren have combined for the best net rating of any five-man lineup in the league to play at least 100 minutes over their nine games together during this stretch at 21.6.
More specifically, Thompson’s 29 steals are the third most in the NBA over the last 11 outings. Duren has the fourth-most rebounds at 131. And although Isaiah Stewart isn’t a starter, he’s ninth in blocks during this span.
Tobias Harris boosts starting unit
Although he missed Monday’s game because of personal reasons, veteran Tobias Harris has been vital to the starting unit and his impact on winning can’t be overstated. He’s a combined plus-14.3 over his last 10.
Recently, Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff has referred to Harris as his “safety blanket” thanks to the security Harris provides his coach and younger teammates. As for his recent absence, it’s unclear how long Harris will be out.
But Harris’ 17.9 points on 58.3 percent shooting and 44.8 percent from 3-point range, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals will be tough to make up for however long he is out. This was also Harris’ longest streak of double-figure scoring this season, which he’ll look to continue once he returns to the Pistons’ lineup.
Detroit’s remaining strength of schedule
To better understand how Detroit will handle the biggest road trip of the season, we must first examine how it’s played in big road games thus far this season. The Pistons are 0-2 on the road against the Boston Celtics, 2-0 at Madison Square Garden, 0-2 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and split the season series 1-1 at Gainbridge FieldHouse.
Detroit has had better luck on the West Coast, though, going 6-1 on the road against teams in the West.
Of Detroit’s 20 regular-season games remaining, 10 come against teams with winning records, 10 will be on the road and they have three back-to-backs. Only three of the Pistons’ games will come against teams higher in the East standings. Their win over the Celtics on Feb. 26 marked their fourth win over a team above them in the East standings.
(Photo of Jalen Duren: Rob Gray / Imagn Images)
