Daniss Jenkins had 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds and the host Detroit Pistons downed the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-108 on Thursday night.
Jalen Duren supplied 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons (56-21), who reduced their magic number to clinch the Eastern Conference’s top seed to one.
Duncan Robinson had 15 points and Kevin Huerter contributed 12 off the bench. Ausar Thompson added seven points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three blocks.
The Pistons defeated the Timberwolves for the second time in less than a week. Detroit won on Minnesota’s home floor on Saturday, 109-87.
Julius Randle scored 27 points and added six rebounds and six assists for the Timberwolves (46-30). Naz Reid had 19 points and six rebounds, while Ayo Dosunmu also scored 19 with five rebounds and four assists. Mike Conley had 14 points and Terrence Shannon Jr. chipped in 10.
The Pistons shot 47.7% from the field and made 10 of 23 3-point attempts. Minnesota shot 44.2% and made 13 of 42 3-point tries.
Both teams were missing their franchise player. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham remained sidelined as he recovers from a collapsed lung. The Pistons are 7-2 since Cunningham sustained the injury. Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards missed the contest due to a right knee injury and an illness. The Timberwolves were playing the first game of a back-to-back.
Pistons forward Tobias Harris sustained a left knee injury when he collided with Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in the first half and did not return.
Detroit outscored Minnesota 34-28 in the fourth quarter. Trailing 89-85 with 8:18 to play, the Pistons went on an 18-3 run. Jenkins sparked the outburst with a three-point play. Thompson scored in the lane to give Detroit a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Ronald Holland II and Thompson had dunks as the lead grew to 96-89, and Duren’s putback dunk made it 98-90. Robinson drilled a 3-pointer off a Jenkins feed to push the lead to double digits and finish off the run.
The Timberwolves drew as close as three points in the final minute, but Jenkins made two free throws with 14.1 seconds left to clinch the Pistons’ victory.
–Field Level Media
