Jalen Duren Criticized by Fans, Benched in OT During Pistons' Game 5 Loss to Cavs

The Detroit Pistons lost 117-113 in overtime to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, and now the Cavs are up three games to two in the best-of-seven matchup.

This was a tough night for Pistons All-Star center Jalen Duren, who had a relatively quiet outing (nine points, five rebounds, four assists) in 25 minutes. Of note, he averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds during the regular season.

Duren's also had a rough series overall, and he encountered some first round struggles against the Orlando Magic.

Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff ended up going with Paul Reed at center in the fourth quarter and overtime. The decision made sense considering the Cavs outscored the Pistons by 16 points with Duren on the court.

Duren briefly saw the floor when he got subbed in before Evan Mobley made a free throw to tie the game at 103 with 45.2 seconds left in regulation, but he was immediately taken out afterward. Technically, Duren didn't play a second of the fourth quarter or OT.

Duren is a restricted free agent this offseason. Per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit can offer him a maximum extension up to five years and about $239 million. So that's in the backdrop here as the playoffs continue.

The 22-year-old big man enjoyed an amazing regular season that catapulted Detroit to a 60-win season and the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed. Undoubtedly, his ascendance helped the Pistons reach new heights of late.

However, it's been a tough run recently, and analysts and fans reacted to Duren's performance.

Duren and the Pistons will look to save their season on Friday when they visit the Cavs for Game 6 at 7 p.m. ET.