On court, Detroit and Orlando fought for their first postseason series win since 2008 and 2010. But there was another chapter in the rivalry, which featured Angel Reese in the middle as she cheered her boyfriend, Magic star Wendell Carter Jr. While doing so in this series, she took some alleged shots at her ex, Pistons center Jalen Duren. During Game 7, the Little Caesars Arena remembered the receipts and loudly returned them after a 116-94 win.

It was the winner-take-all Game 7, and the Pistons fans used all the psychological warfare. Whenever Carter Jr. stepped to the stripe during Detroit’s blowout win, the home fans serenaded him with loud “Angel Reese” chants. Just another messy episode of “Love & Basketball”. Detroit fans did that because on social media, it was the WNBA star who started trolling Duren. It was done on multiple occasions throughout the series.

The Magic registered a 94-88 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 at the Kia Center. Reese did not waste any time in throwing shade at her alleged ex. She reposted a video on her Instagram story of him getting dunked on by Magic star Jamal Cain as Orlando secured the upset win. Now, this was a 15-second reel that Magic created for their win, which began with the dunk moment. Now, there was no highlight-worthy moment from Wendell Carter Jr. in that post, so fans knew this was an apparent shot at her ex.

Before this, to show her allegiance to her boyfriend, Angel Reese celebrated Magic winning Game 1, 112-101. Again in that game, Duren was dunked on. But importantly, Carter Jr. was the one to posterize the Pistons star. Now, one can assume this was only to hype up the Orlando star, but then there is history between the WNBA star and her alleged ex. Before dating Carter Jr., Reese was linked to Pistons star Jalen Duren.

There were rumors that Angel Reese and Jalen Duren were seeing each other in the summer of 2024. Neither star has ever addressed the rumors, but the rumors started when the two exchanged flirtatious comments on Instagram. It did not stop there. Netizens remained watchful and noticed that both Angel Reese and Jalen Duren posted similar pictures from their respective vacations. But just a few months later, Angel Reese claimed she was single on her podcast.

Even Jalen Duren remained silent about it. Now, we know there is no love lost. The WNBA star subtly mocked her ex; meanwhile, the Pistons fans were not subtle with their jab back.

Jalen Duren got the last laugh

From the opening tipoff and onward, Duren looked more like himself than he had at any point during this seven-game series. Jalen Duren showed immediate rejuvenation in the opening tip, dominating the offensive glass and maintaining constant movement in the paint, which resulted in four offensive rebounds by halftime.

Explosive plays complemented his rebounding prowess, highlighted by a crucial late second-quarter grab, and created momentum for Detroit. He was alert and grabbed a board late in the second quarter that led to an open 3-pointer for Jenkins to tie the game at 43. Then he rose above Orlando’s defense to catch a lob from Cunningham and ran down the floor, caught a pass from Jenkins, and finished a thunderous one-handed dunk down the middle of the lane. The Little Caesars Arena already came prepared to support their All-Star center, but that finish got the crowd to its feet midway through the second quarter.

By halftime, Duren was near a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds, marking his most dominant rebounding performance of the postseason. He and the Pistons will continue their journey in the postseason. Which Carter Jr. can’t boast about right now.