Cade Cunningham was ruled out of the Detroit Pistons’ road game against the New Orleans Pelicans an hour and a half before tip-off with an illness. He sat on the bench with a winter jacket as he watched his team take care of business without him.
The Pistons beat the Pelicans, 112-104, to improve to 32-10 overall and pad their lead atop the Eastern Conference. They were led by Jalen Duren, who posted a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
Daniss Jenkins started in place of Cunningham and finished with 17 points and four assists. Tobias Harris added 12 points and nine rebounds. They also were without Caris LeVert, due to an illness.
They held the Pelicans to 35.9% and led from start to finish after opening the game with a 13-0 lead.
Jenkins, Sasser fill in for Cunningham
The guard duo has shined when given the opportunity, but consistent minutes haven’t been a guarantee due to their depth at the position.
Sasser played fewer than seven minutes in six of their last seven games leading up to Wednesday, and didn’t appear in two of their last three. Jenkins’ role has see-sawed depending on injury availability. He didn’t play against the Celtics on Monday, but played 20-plus minutes in four-straight games from Jan. 4-10.
With Cunningham out, Jenkins picked up his seventh start of the season. He and Sasser shared the floor together to open the second quarter and led a 9-2 run, with Jenkins finishing a fastbreak layup after a steal from Ron Holland, and a Sasser 3-pointer to extend their lead to 43-32.
Jenkins converted a tough 3-point play with 3:33 remaining in the fourth quarter to push their lead back to double digits, 104-94, and then split a trip at the line with just under three minutes left to make it an 11-point game. Sasser also had a productive game with nine points and four assists, albeit on 3-for-11 shooting.
Duren continues All-Star bid
The fourth-year center is making a case for the Pistons to have two representatives in the All-Star Game, which hasn’t happened in the 2007-08 season. He led the Pistons in scoring after posting 18 points against the Celtics, and both nights showcased his expanded offensive bag.
On two occasions, Duren impressed with his handle. Late in the second quarter, he patiently sized up his defender before creating room with his shoulder, followed by a step-through into a layup. In the third, he patiently crossed-over Pelicans rookie Derik Queen to the left and finished with his right.
But his most impressive play might’ve been the first play of the night, when he pulled off a windmill dunk off of a pass from Robinson.
Jalen Duren with a powerful WINDMILL in the opening minute 😲
Detroit is up early in Q1… Tap to watch: https://t.co/ukQjAmD4rgpic.twitter.com/FlB6ItMsY9
— NBA (@NBA) January 22, 2026
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons score in win vs Pelicans without Cade Cunningham
