San Antonio shot just 36% from the field and was held to below 100 points for the eighth time this season.
DETROIT — Marcus Sasser scored a career-high 27 points in 25 minutes off the bench and the Detroit Pistons routed the San Antonio Spurs 122-96 on Tuesday night, snapping the Spurs’ three-game winning streak.
It was an offensively challenging matchup for San Antonio, which shot just 36.3% from the field while making just 14 of their 44 three-point attempts. Devin Vassell (26 points) led the way for the Silver & Black, and Stephon Castle chipped in 19 points as he continues to start for De’Aaron Fox.
The Spurs were held to below 100 points for the eighth time this season, having gone into halftime in a 60-34 hole.
Tobias Harris added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons (41-32), who pulled within a percentage point of Milwaukee (40-31) for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Jalen Duren had 14 points and seven assists, and Ausar Thompson added 14 points and six boards.
Cunningham, averaging 25.7 points and 9.2 assists, missed his second straight game with a bruised left calf. Sasser has stepped in to fill the scoring void, also providing 20 points in 26 minutes Sunday during a 136-130 win over New Orleans.
The second-year guard from Houston entered Tuesday averaging 6.0 points per game. His previous career best was 26 in November 2023 at Milwaukee, early in his rookie season.
Takeaways
Spurs: Playing without injured stars Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, both out for the season, the Spurs (31-40) fell to 11-23 on the road. They had won three straight for the first time since late November, and five of seven overall. San Antonio began the night three games out of 10th place in the West for the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Pistons: Even minus Cunningham, the Pistons shot 56.4% from the field and won for the fourth time in five games.
Key moment
Detroit outscored the Spurs 30-12 in the second quarter and led 60-34 at halftime.
Key stats
San Antonio shot just 36.3% from the field. Meanwhile, the Pistons were 15 of 31 from 3-point range (48.4%).
Up next
Spurs: Wrap up a three-game trip Thursday night at Cleveland, the top team in the East.
Pistons: Host the Cavaliers on Friday night to finish a three-game homestand.