Keldon Johnson leads Spurs to rout of depleted Pistons / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports Credit Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Keldon Johnson scored 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the floor as the San Antonio Spurs walloped the depleted Detroit Pistons 144-109 on Sunday night.

Player of the Game EFF 25 Keldon Johnson Points 27 Accuracy 10-12 Rebounds 5 Assists 1

The Spurs ran away from Detroit in the first half and cruised to the win, their third straight. San Antonio produced a near-perfect half despite playing without Dejounte Murray, who missed the game because of health and safety protocols.

The Pistons were missing coach Dwane Casey and 11 of their regular roster players because of either injury or health and safety protocols and had only nine players in uniform. Detroit was without 67 percent of its total scoring for the season.

The Spurs got contributions from their whole roster, led by 30 points with just under four minutes remaining in the second period, stretched the margin to a season-high 39 points late in the third, and emptied their bench for the fourth period in anticipation of the second game of a home back-to-back against Utah on Monday night.

Jock Landale added 18 points for San Antonio on Sunday, with Jakob Poeltl hitting for 14, Doug McDermott 13, and Keita Bates-Diop tallying 10. Tre Jones recorded 11 assists and Derrick White 10 for the Spurs, who recorded a season-high in points and assists (39).

Hamidou Diallo led the Pistons with 28 points, while Saddiq Bey scored 23, Luka Garza 20, and Frank Jackson 17. Detroit has dropped 17 of it past 18 games and, at 5-27, has the worst record in the NBA.

The Spurs took charge in the middle of the first quarter and never looked back, building a 10-point lead at the 4:12 mark before settling for a 38-30 advantage after 12 minutes of play.

San Antonio kept its foot on the accelerator in the second quarter, building its lead to as many as 30 points midway through the period and taking a 78-54 advantage at the break.

Four Spurs players scored in double figures in the first half, led by Johnson's 17 points, as San Antonio outshot the Pistons 62 percent to 34.7 percent in the half.

Both the Spurs' 38-point first quarter and 40-point second quarter were season highs in their respective periods, and the 24-point lead at halftime was San Antonio's largest of the season.

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