DETROIT — The Clippers are still trying to find their post-All-Star break groove, but a lack of firepower was their biggest issue on Monday night.
Playing without Kawhi Leonard, Norman Powell and Ben Simmons, the Clippers could not keep up with the surging Detroit Pistons down the stretch and lost their third straight game, 106-97.
Cade Cunningham had 32 points and nine rebounds, former Clipper Tobias Harris had 20 points and Jalen Duren added 12 points and 19 rebounds as the Pistons won their seventh straight game. Ausar Thompson added 10 points and five steals.
James Harden had 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists (but seven turnovers) for the Clippers (31-26), who conclude their four-game Midwestern trip on Wednesday night in Chicago. Ivica Zubac had 13 points, 16 boards, five assists and three blocked shots, while Derrick Jones Jr. added 15 points and Kris Dunn had 13 points, five rebounds and five steals.
Bogdan Bogdanovic had 13 points and five assists but endured a frustrating night. He missed seven of his first 10 shots, including all five 3-point attempts, and left the game midway through the third quarter with five fouls. He didn’t have any more success after returning in the fourth quarter, finishing 3 for 9 from the floor and 1 for 7 from 3-point range.
The Pistons (32-26), who beat the Clippers for the first time in 11 meetings, hadn’t won seven straight since January 2015 and have their best 58-game record since they were 42-16 in 2007-08 – the last year they won a playoff game.
Leading by one point, the Pistons closed the third quarter with a 10-1 run. Thompson got it started with a dunk, Harris added a dunk and a 3-pointer, then Dennis Schroder finished the period with a floater for an 85-75 lead.
A Cunningham basket with 9:13 left in the fourth made it 87-76, but the Clippers scored the next seven points, including a three-point play from Amir Coffey. The Pistons answered with field goals from Thompson and Cunningham.
A Malik Beasley corner 3-pointer gave Detroit a 96-84 lead with 2:53 lead, and Cunningham put secured the victory with a 3-pointer with 1:06 left.
The absences of Leonard (left foot soreness), Powell (left patellar tendinopathy) and Simmons (left knee injury management) meant the Clippers were without a pair of starters and a key reserve. Simmons had averaged 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 23.7 minutes per game.
Pistons reserve forward Simone Fontecchio missed the game after sustaining a hand injury in Sunday’s 148-145 victory over Atlanta.
UP NEXT
The Clippers will play their third game in four days when they face the Bulls on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT in Chicago.