Pistons’ Jalen Duren matches bonkers Wilt Chamberlain’s 1967 feat

The Detroit Pistons have remained at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, and it’s no fluke that they stand out as one of the favorites to make it to the NBA Finals. Their young core has matured to the point of dominance, and on Tuesday night, it was Jalen Duren’s turn yet again to star for his team.

In a 130-117 win over the Washington Wizards, Duren put their shorthanded frontcourt to the sword and put up 36 points and 12 rebounds on 13-17 shooting from the field and 10-11 from the foul line. The Wizards tend to allow huge numbers from opposition frontcourts, and Duren made the most of a pillow-soft matchup.

And in so doing, Duren became the first player in NBA history to average 25 points per game or more on 80 percent shooting or better over a six-game span since Wilt Chamberlain pulled off that feat back in 1967, as per OptaSTATS on X (formerly Twitter).

Allowing opponents to record Chamberlain-esque stat lines seems to be the Wizards’ M.O., but that should not discredit whatsoever how dominant Duren was on Tuesday. Duren still had to work hard for those numbers, and he still had to be locked in. And now, the Pistons are knocking on the door of a 50-win season — a marvelous development for a team that was the worst team in NBA history not too long ago.

Pistons still the team to beat in the East?

The Pistons have sat on top of the East for the majority of the season, but they have some ways to go before they convince the majority of fans that they are the team to beat in the conference.

The Boston Celtics recently got Jayson Tatum back, the New York Knicks have a few battle-tested veteran stars, and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be raring to win big and win now. But the Pistons have fed off of the doubt of fans in the past, and perhaps flying under the radar in a playoff setting would do wonders for their competitive psyche.

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