Duren rolls – Jalen Duren rolled his left ankle with 6:11 left in the third quarter of Game 6 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, May 15. Paul Reed replaced him as Detroit led 68-57, and Duren’s injury injected uncertainty into an elimination-game stretch where the P
CLEVELAND – The Detroit Pistons’ bid to move through Game 6 ran into a sudden scare midway through the third quarter. With 6:11 remaining on Friday, May 15, Jalen Duren rolled his left ankle during the elimination game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena.
The sequence happened as Duren was moving toward the rim. He collided with James Harden while rolling in, then crumpled to the floor and was visibly in pain when he stood up. After the injury, Duren briefly went to the tunnel and re-tied his left shoe before returning to the bench.
Paul Reed stepped into the lineup for the first time in these playoffs after the Pistons were ahead 68-57.. Reed finished the remainder of the quarter as Detroit went into the fourth with a clear buffer developing.. Duren then returned to open the fourth quarter when the Pistons pushed ahead 84-70, their biggest cushion of the game.
Before he exited after the ankle roll, Duren had produced nine points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks in 20 minutes. It had been one of his more engaged offensive stretches, repeatedly attacking Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen in space and finishing at the rim.
The pattern of swing moments sharpened once Duren left again after his injury.. The Cavaliers scored the next four points, cutting Detroit’s lead from 68-61.. Detroit took a timeout. and after three quarters’ momentum. the Pistons responded to re-take a double-digit lead with Reed making numerous plays on both ends.
Duren’s injury. followed by Reed’s immediate impact. lined up with the tighter scoring stretch right after Duren’s exit: Cleveland scored four straight. prompting a Detroit timeout at 68-61. before Detroit regained a double-digit cushion after the third quarter as Reed continued his work on both ends.
Jalen Duren Pistons Cavaliers Game 6 ankle injury Paul Reed James Harden Jarrett Allen Rocket Arena Friday May 15