DETROIT (AP) — Kevin Durant scored an NBA season-high 51 points in the Brooklyn Nets’ 116-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
Cade Cunningham had 26 and Frank Jackson added 25 for Detroit, which lost its 12th straight. The Pistons’ last win was Nov. 17 against the Pacers, and they still haven’t won back-to-back games this season.
Patty Mills added 18 points for the Nets, who outscored Detroit 30-13 in the fourth quarter.
On the same day Durant was fined $25,000 for using multiple expletives at a fan who yelled “Durant, stop crying,” on Friday during a game in Atlanta, he also bested Stephen Curry’s 50-point total for the league high this season.
The Pistons led 91-86 after three quarters despite 38 points from Durant, who scored seven in the Nets’ 11-0 run to start the fourth. He picked up his fifth foul with 8:46 to play, but stayed on the floor as the Nets expanded the lead to 105-92 midway through the quarter.
The Nets led 60-57 at the half behind 22 points. Detroit outshot Brooklyn 47.8% to 38.5% in the first half, but struggled with turnovers on the glass.
Durant also set the record on Sunday for points scored at the Little Caesars Arena, which opened in 2017. He bested Blake Griffin’s 50 in 2018, Kyrie Irving’s 45 in 2020 and James Harden’s 44 last season.
TIP INS
Nets: Griffin only scored one point and was booed by Pistons fans every time he touched the ball.
Pistons: Detroit honored Hall of Famer Dave Bing for his selection to the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team. Bing, who played his first nine seasons for the Pistons, later served as Detroit’s mayor.
UP NEXT
Nets: Host the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.
Pistons: Visit the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.
