The Detroit Pistons have been forced to rely on different contributors throughout the season, and that only became a bigger reality for the team following Cade Cunningham's latest setback.
On Monday's win over the Los Angeles Lakers, it was time for a new late-game option to emerge in Detroit.
The Pistons entered the final minute in a back-and-forth battle against a Lakers team riding a nine-game winning streak and poised to turn that into a double-digit run.
With the game on the line, however, the Pistons turned to Daniss Jenkins, who was on his way to putting together the most productive night of his NBA career on the scoring front.
Jenkins, who started his second game at point guard with Cade out, finished with a career-high 30 points, eight assists and four rebounds, but his final bucket was the one that decided the outcome of the game.
Detroit Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins (24) dribbles the ball against the Brooklyn Nets. Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
After Austin Reaves briefly gave Los Angeles the lead with 29.7 seconds left, Jenkins responded with a mid-range jumper defended by Reaves that secured a 113-110 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
Afterward, Jenkins explained exactly how the play developed and what he was asked to do in that moment.
"I just try to step up and do my job. I don't look into what I didn't do or bad plays," Jenkins said. "I knew in that moment that the play was for me to get downhill and make the play. They gave me my shot, and I just took it with some confidence."
The possession came after a timeout, with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff putting the ball in Jenkins' hands and asking him to attack.
"I'm in that position for a reason, I just gotta go out and be me."
Daniss Jenkins (career-high 30p) on his game-winner! pic.twitter.com/pWd6QSWO8u
— NBA (@NBA) March 24, 2026
"I just try to relax and just play because I'm in that position for a reason," Jenkins said. "I just have to go out and be me."
Jenkins' performance against the Lakers saw him score Detroit's final six points of the game, including a pair of free throws before his game-winning basket, as well as a final freebie afterward.
The Pistons improved to 52-19 with the win, extended their own winning streak to four games, and will next face the Atlanta Hawks on the road on Wednesday.
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