The Detroit Pistons' winning streak has reached five games after blowing out the Chicago Bulls 126-110. However, the emotion exchanged after the game took over a lot of the headlines from Saturday's game.
Saturday night's matchup marked the first time the Pistons shared the court with former teammate Jaden Ivey after the former first-round pick was traded to Chicago at the NBA Trade Deadline. Detroit's entire team went to talk and catch up with Ivey in a very emotional embrace.
Detroit center Jalen Duren was asked about their bond with Ivey after the game concluded.
“That's my brother, man. I came into the league with him since day one. That's family forever, bro. That's my favorite player, I love that guy,” Duren stated while fighting back tears.
Detroit found itself in a difficult situation regarding Ivey's future. He suffered a gruesome leg injury against the Orlando Magic when guard Cole Anthony dove into his leg. He was taken off the floor on a stretcher and missed the rest of his third season.
After completing his rehab, Ivey had another injury setback during preseason. He required another surgery to heal issues with his knee coming into the 2025-26 season. The injuries impacted his game a lot as his numbers came down drastically. His once unstoppable speed was diminished and the high-profiled athleticism did not look the same.
Instead of waiting out for the recovery, the Pistons opted to deal Ivey to the Bulls for forward Kevin Huerter. Ivey was playing in a contract year as a restricted free agent. Detroit decided to give Ivey a fresh start elsewhere instead of gambling on waiting for his recovery to agree on a contract extension.
Ivey was putting up career-high scoring numbers before that injury. The Pistons were witnessing a significant scoring jump with 17.6 points per game on 46% shooting from the field and 40.9% from 3-point range.
Ivey was drafted to the Pistons with Duren in the first round during the 2022 NBA Draft. The former Purdue guard was selected at No. 5 overall before Detroit traded up to acquire Duren at No. 13.
Jalen Duren dominates in return to the lineup
The Pistons got a boost back to their roster as Duren came back from his suspension. After missing the previous two games due to the brawl against the Charlotte Hornets, the Pistons' All-Star center looked like he hadn't missed a step at all against the Bulls.
Duren was a major focal point of Detroit's domination in its road victory. He scored 26 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, marking his 25th double-double this season. Duren's offensive rebounding continued to produce at an elite level, with six more of them against Chicago.
The Pistons are still without backup center Isaiah Stewart for the next four games due to the fight. Veteran big man Paul Reed filled in well again in Stewart's absence, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham almost finished the night with a triple-double. Cunningham scored 18 points, dished 13 assists, and grabbed nine rebounds. Forward Tobias Harris also added 18 points in 30 minutes. Guard Duncan Robinson had a red-hot shooting night with 17 points and hitting five 3-pointers.
