Cunningham-less Pistons lose in Memphis; Malachi Flynn struggles with 3 points

The Cade Cunningham-less Pistons dropped their third straight game with a 108-90 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

Cunningham missed his second consecutive game due to left knee injury management.

It was a game that was ultimately decided before halftime as Detroit's excessive turnovers contributed to a 19-point deficit at the break. The Grizzlies were shorthanded without 12 players due to injury, but had a well-balanced offensive output from their starters, led by G.G. Jackson.

The Pistons dropped to 13-64, which is currently the worst record in the NBA. Memphis improved to 27-50.

Jaden Ivey had an impressive shooting display from beyond the 3-point line and led the Pistons with 31 points on 10-of-15 from the field. He knocked down six of his eight attempts from 3 and often served as Detroit's lone bright spot in a game that got out of hand pretty quickly.

BOX SCORE: Grizzlies 108, Pistons 90

The Pistons trailed by 10 after the first quarter and scored just 16 points in the second quarter, which made for a disastrous 38-point first half. Memphis scored 57 points in the first 24 minutes and led by as many as 27 points in the game.

Jalen Duren recorded a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 11 of those points in the third quarter, which helped the Pistons match the Grizzlies with 32 points in the period. Tosan Evbuowman added eight points and three assists.

Fresh off a 50-point game against the Atlanta Hawks, Malachi Flynn struggled to replicate that offensive success on Friday. He finished with three points and five assists and failed to connect on any of his 12 field-goal attempts. He missed all seven of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Ten-day signee Jaylen Nowell made his debut as a Piston on Friday night. He scored upon entry and finished with 12 points off the bench, including a dunk in the final minute of the game.

With five games left in the season, the Pistons need at least three more victories to match the franchise worst record of 16-66 (1979-80).

The Pistons won't have much time to prepare for their next game since they'll travel to New York for their final meeting with the Nets on Saturday.

mcurtis@detroitnews.com

@MikeACurtis2