Pistons center Jalen Duren left Game 6 against the Cleveland Cavaliers after rolling his left ankle on a collision, returning to start the fourth quarter but reportedly wearing an added brace. Detroit had led 75-68 with 3:05 left in the third quarter.
Jalen Duren was rolling his way through a big Game 6 before the conference moment turned on a single misstep. The Pistons All-Star went down holding his lower left leg after a late-third-quarter collision, forcing Detroit to shuffle its rotation right when the game was still in reach.
The incident happened Friday, May 15, with a little more than six minutes left in the third quarter.. Duren rolled his left ankle after bumping into Cavaliers guard James Harden, who was playing for an offensive foul.. Harden fell to the court and Duren took a step forward. but his left foot landed awkwardly. leading to the tweak.. Duren immediately went down and grabbed at his leg, then left the floor as trainers tended to him.
He went to the bench right away. returned to the tunnel toward the locker room after a few minutes. and came back to the bench a short time later without immediately re-entering the game.. After spending the remainder of the third quarter on the sideline—occasionally standing and cheering—Duren returned to start the fourth quarter and did not appear to be hindered by the injury.. He did, though, appear to wear an additional brace to support the area.
Detroit’s timing mattered.. The Pistons had a 75-68 lead with 3:05 left to play in the third quarter. and Duren had been one of the sharper performers on Friday night.. After a series that found him more passive on offense and with rebounding lagging. he was more intentional in Game 6. scoring 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting while adding 7 rebounds. 1 steal. and 2 blocks.
The concern for what comes next is that the injury could leave him hobbled for the remainder of the series. Earlier decisions already reflected the stakes. With Duren struggling in previous games, Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff benched him the entire fourth quarter and overtime of Game 5.
For now, Duren’s return to begin the fourth offers a glimpse of resilience. But with the injury stemming from a lower leg tweak in the middle of a tight third-quarter stretch, Detroit is watching closely as the postseason carries on.
Jalen Duren Pistons Cavaliers Game 6 lower leg injury left ankle James Harden J.B. Bickerstaff NBA playoffs