Pistons’ Jalen Duren revels what fueled 22-point comeback victory over Celtics appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A “never say die” mentality continues to define the Detroit Pistons. They found themselves in troubled waters, down by double digits during their regular-season home opener. However, the Pistons climbed out of a 22-point deficit and defeated the Boston Celtics 121-113.
The matchup started with a close, back-and-forth first quarter. After a sluggish second quarter and beginning of the third period, the Pistons played their best ball in the second half. Detroit outscored Boston 76-55 in the final two periods, which included a 23-0 run. All-Star center Jalen Duren detailed in the media postgame session what helped the Pistons get out of their slump against the Celtics.
“The comeback embodies our culture and what we’re trying to build here. We’re a team that is known to be gritty, known to get it out of the mud, known to never quit, and that’s our identity,” Duren explained. “Even the guys who are new here are embodying that, and that’s why we were able to have the outcome we had.”
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Detroit went ice cold offensively during the second quarter to help create their deficit. They were only able to connect on 6-of-22 shots from the field and 2-of-10 from 3-point range. The Pistons also had to withstand a prime performance from forward Paul George, who scored a game-high 38 points.
Duren played a big part in the team effort for the comeback victory. The All-NBA center ended the contest with 22 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes of action. Six of those rebounds came on the defensive end, and the other three were from the offensive glass.
These statement wins point to Detroit’s identity. Duren addressed the team’s mental makeup to the media and how they are built to survive big deficits in order to find a path to victory.
“We’re not the team to hang our heads. We’ve seen the bottom. A lot of guys are new here, but we’ve seen the bottom, so we’re not afraid of it. We fight, man,” Duren said. “That’s the identity of our team. … I’d never say we were scared or worried or anything. We knew we had to pick it up and play our brand of basketball to get back in it.”
The Pistons had five different players finish in double-digit scoring. All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham also scored 22 points with eight assists. Shooting guard Duncan Robinson added 21 points for the Pistons while knocking down five triples.
Duren also had plenty of praise for forward Javonte Green’s performance off the bench. Green scored 19 points and also hit five 3-pointers in the second half. He did not play a single minute in the first half, but helped turn the game around when his number was called in the third quarter.
“Woo is a pro’s pro. Every game, you never know how many minutes he’s going to get. But every time his number is called, he’s ready. He’s ready to do whatever we need him to do. Whether that’s knock down shots, get stops, guard the other team’s best player,” Duren stated. “He’s always there with energy. That’s him every day. He’s a positive person; he comes into practice and can make everybody laugh. He just brings the team together, and I’m happy to have him.”
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