How Jalen Duren's Big Night Lead Detroit Pistons to Victory Over Washington Wizards

The Detroit Pistons were victorious in their matchup against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena, 130-117, credited to a career-high of 36 points from NBA All-Star, Jalen Duren.

This was another game with compelling evidence for the NBA’s Most Improved Player case. Along with his 36 points, he collected 12 rebounds which added another double-double to his season’s resume.

Duren stepped up big-time in the absence of his duo partner in Cade Cunningham, who did not return to the game. Cunningham suffered from back spasms after going for a loose ball against the Wizards’ Tre Johnson in the first quarter. The Pistons were also without center Isaiah Stewart, in which he will be out for at least a week with a left calf strain.

Mar 17, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) dunks over Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Game's Breakdown

Washington kept things quite competitive early in the first and second quarter, with three-point shooting and ball movement as their main strength. In the third quarter, Duren came out strong and scored 14 points, and normally we see Ron Holland making fancy layups, but he made a confident three that put the Pistons up 18. His total for the night was eleven points.

The Wizards tried to come back, putting together a string of offensive plays with under 5 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. After going on a strong 7-0 run, they saw themselves trailing by just eleven.

A lot of their scoring came from Bub Carrington who was their lead sharpshooter, going 6 of 8 from three, providing 30 points. However, Jalen Duren stayed involved in Detroit’s offense, which proved to be too much. From there, the Pistons didn’t look back and handed the Wizards their 13th straight loss.

One thing to note that the Pistons have always lived up to, is their next man up mentality, which was effective immediately.

Caris Levert and Paul Reed added 10 points. The floor generals in Daniss Jenkins and Marcus Sasser had 15 and 9 points, respectively.

On the Wizards end, Will Riley scored 21 points, going 7-of 13 from the field and Justin Champagnie chipped in 18 points and nine rebounds. Collectively, Washington shot 16-of-37 from beyond the arc.

The Pistons now improve to 49-19, remaining in the first seed of the Eastern Conference standings. They are four games above the Boston Celtics.

What's Coming Up?

The Washington Wizards will host the Detroit Pistons once again at Capital One Arena on Thursday, March 19th. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. EST.