'I'm a scorer first': Pistons rookie Sasser has 24 points in rare win against Mavs

The stars at night were battered and bruised.

Deep in the heart of Texas.

But in a game devoid of the typical marquee names, it was Dallas' own — Detroit Pistons' rookie Marcus Sasser — who lit up the scoreboard Friday night at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas.

Sasser scored a team-high 24 points on the night, including 13 consecutive during a crucial third-quarter stretch in which the Pistons were able to hold off the Mavericks and maintain control of an eventual 107-89 win.

"It's just a blessing...just to be able to play in this league, and then especially to be able to do it in front of my parents and family, so it was real fun, for sure," Sasser said.

Sasser attended Red Oak High School, located about 25 minutes south of the Mavericks' arena, and played his college ball at the University of Houston. He came two points shy of his career high (26 points in a November loss to Milwaukee). He said he had "20-plus" friends and family members in attendance. Twenty-two of his 24 points came in the second half.

Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (knee) missed his sixth straight game and center Jalen Duren (back spasms) was ruled out before gametime. Mavericks guards Luka Doncic (ankle) and Kyrie Irving (hamstring) were also inactive.

BOX SCORE: Pistons 107, Mavericks 89

"Sass, for him to have a game like that in his hometown, in front of his family, I just thought it was a cool moment for us," Pistons coach Monty Williams said. "I told them how proud I was of them."

Sasser scored 20 points in Thursday's home loss to Chicago and had 24 in a March 25 loss to the Knicks. The stretch of productivity comes at a time in which the Pistons (14-67) are looking for any bright spots available, and Sasser has certainly fit that bill.

"I feel like I'm a scorer first, so I'm just being aggressive, trying to get to the rim, making plays for myself," Sasser said. "I feel like that it just opened up for me to make plays for my teammates, just getting other defenders to help and making the easy reads, just coming in with that aggressive mindset instead of that passing, laid-back mindset."

As a team, the Pistons tied a season-low with just seven turnovers just one night after committing 20 in the home finale.

"That's something that we have to continue to build off of," Williams said. "Even though it's the end of the season, the numbers don't lie. You give yourself a chance with a ton of possessions and you shoot the ball relatively well, you're gonna have a chance to win games."

Chimezie Metu — who scored 20 points against Chicago on Thursday — had 18 points and Evan Fournier had 13 for the Pistons. Metu's biggest buckets came in the final three minutes of the game. With the Pistons fighting a late surge from the Mavericks, Metu drilled a 22-foot 2-pointer and a 3-pointer in as many possessions to push the lead to 103-89 and seal the win.

"He was spent," Williams said. "He played minute (nearly 33) minutes last night, guarded (Bulls guard DeMar) DeRozan most of the game, travel, come here, and have a game like that, it really speaks to the work that young man puts in. ... He's consistent and he's chasing something. He wants to be in the league. He wants to have a spot in a rotation, and he works like that.

"I'm happy for him to have a game like that. It's huge."

Jaden Hardy scored a game-high 25 points for the Mavericks (50-31) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 16.

For the second straight night, the Pistons got an early pair of 3-pointers from Metu. Detroit built a 12-4 lead that extended to 14-7 by the game's first timeout. Dallas used its challenge and won with 8:06 in the first quarter to remove a second foul from the stat sheet of Mavericks center Daniel Gafford.

The Mavericks turned a couple empty Detroit possessions into a 16-14 lead before Ivey broke the scoring drought with a jumper. Jared Rhoden (four blocks, three rebounds) and Taj Gibson (eight points, five rebounds and a block) traded buckets to help the Pistons grab a 27-21 lead entering the second quarter.

Unlike much of the season, the Pistons got a handle on their turnovers while the Mavericks started to spin out of control, totaling seven with 9:10 left in the first half. After landing the game's first free throws, former Piston Tim Hardaway Jr. gave the Mavericks a 34-33 lead. The Pistons went on a mini-run, culminating with an Evan Fournier 3-pointer and a 40-34 advantage.

As the Mavericks closed the gap again, Metu hit his third 3-pointer to make it a 47-40 game. He was the only player in the game to have double-digit points entering halftime. The Pistons were poised to take a 10-point lead into halftime but gave up a 3-pointer to Maxi Kleber that cut it to 53-46.

After Troy Brown Jr. got the scoring started in the second half, James Wiseman hit a jumper to give the Pistons a 57-46 lead. Not long after, Sasser scored 13 consecutive Pistons points to make it 72-58 — Detroit's largest lead of the game to that point — with a run that only included one 3-pointer.

Sasser's hot hand caused the Mavericks to double him out of a timeout, which ended his run. Wiseman and Fournier added buckets for the Pistons to keep them at a distance despite the best efforts from Hardy, who had 12 third-quarter points.

The Mavericks nearly cut their deficit to single digits, but Gibson and Rhoden each blocked shots in the final 25 seconds to help the Pistons carry an 80-68 lead into the fourth.

The Pistons kept their momentum in the final quarter, getting a quick jumper from Rhoden and a steal-and-bucket from Malachi Flynn to extend their lead to 16. But a quick five-point burst from Prosper and a triple from Hardy quickly cut that deficit in half, 84-76, with 9:27 to go.

Sasser again gave the Pistons a boost when they needed it by getting to the free-throw line in an 88-80 game that helped push the lead back to 10. Fournier, Wiseman and Sasser scored on consecutive possessions to keep the Mavericks from truly threatening the lead. Metu hit a long 2-pointer and a 3 on the following possession to make it 103-89 with 2:08 to go and seal the victory.

The Pistons will finish their season on Sunday in San Antonio against the Spurs, which tout the worst record (20-60) in the West.

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi