Jalen Duren’s Honest Thoughts on Chippy Half in Pistons-Wizards Game

Jalen Duren and the Pistons embraced a chippy half.

Feb 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) shoots against Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

A couple of heated exchanges took place during the first quarter of the Tuesday night matchup between the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards. The veteran center, Jalen Duren, believes that the Wizards helped the Pistons find more motivation as the game had its tense moments.

“Oh my god, we love it,” Duren told FanDuel Sports Detroit at halftime on Tuesday. “I love it. That’s what we do.”

During the first quarter, Duren saw his star teammate, Cade Cunningham, go face-to-face with the veteran forward Khris Middleton as a retaliation to a series of shoves. Duren came in to defend his All-Star teammate and was eventually pushed by Washington standout Jordan Poole. The situation was eventually settled, but Duren landed a tech for involvement.

Jan 27, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) passes the ball against the Washington Wizards in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Later on in the second quarter, Wizards guard Marcus Smart and Pistons center Isaiah Stewart landed double-techs for their verbal exchange. At that point, the Pistons were beginning to pull away on the scoreboard. Therefore, they embraced the chippy play with confidence.

“That’s what we are built for,” Duren continued. “I think we play better when that happens. Most teams don’t know how to play with that type of energy and intensity. I think that just turns us up.”

Heading into halftime, the Pistons were up 66-49 over Washington. Detroit held the Wizards to just 38 percent shooting from the field and 22 percent shooting from three.

Duren had shot 5-8 from the field to score 11 points. He also had eight rebounds and two blocks on the defensive end of the floor.

A win on Tuesday would allow the Pistons to pick up their 37th of the year, forming a two-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the 13-50 Wizards are where the Pistons were just a season ago, playing for nothing other than high lottery odds.

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