DETROIT — Marcus Sasser emerged as a key player by scoring a personal-best 27 points in just 25 minutes off the bench, propelling the Detroit Pistons to a dominant 122-96 triumph over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night. This victory marks the Pistons’ second consecutive win achieved despite the absence of their injured star, Cade Cunningham.
Tobias Harris contributed significantly to the Pistons’ success with 15 points and eight rebounds. The team improved their standings in the Eastern Conference, closing the gap with Milwaukee for the fifth spot. Meanwhile, Jalen Duren had an impressive game with 14 points and seven assists, and Ausar Thompson matched that output with 14 points and six rebounds.
Cade Cunningham, a driving force for the Pistons with averages of 25.7 points and 9.2 assists, was sidelined for the second game due to a bruised left calf. Sasser has successfully filled this scoring gap, having recently delivered 20 points over 26 minutes in a 136-130 victory against New Orleans. Entering Tuesday’s game, Sasser, in his second year from Houston, had been averaging 6.0 points per game. His previous career-high performance was a 26-point showing against Milwaukee in November 2023, early in his rookie campaign.
For the Spurs, Devin Vassell led the scoring with 26 points, while rookie Stephon Castle added 19 points in the face of a tough matchup against the resurgent Pistons.