Pistons clinch first Central Division crown in 18 years
pistons-clinch-first-central-division-crown-in-18-years
DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons locked up their first Central Division championship since 2007-08 on Tuesday, defeating the Toronto Raptors 127-116 at Little Caesars Arena.
The victory lifted Detroit to 55-21, capping a rapid turnaround from a 14-68 season just two years ago that included a league-record-tying 28 consecutive losses.
With All-Star guard Cade Cunningham sidelined by a lung injury, fellow All-Star Jalen Duren powered the clincher, scoring 31 points on 12-for-13 shooting and adding nine rebounds. “When you have a big who can space the floor and play with his back to the basket, he’s tough to handle,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
Rookie guard Daniss Jenkins, who opened the year on a two-way contract, supplied 21 points and five assists. Since moving into the starting lineup for Cunningham, Jenkins is averaging 18.6 points and 6.9 assists.
“We set out to do something special,” Jenkins said. “We’ll enjoy this tonight, then focus on making noise in the playoffs.”
The division title ends one of the most difficult stretches in franchise history. After the 2007-08 squad reached a sixth straight Eastern Conference finals, Detroit traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, replaced coach Flip Saunders with Michael Curry and tumbled to 39-43 the following season. Over the next decade, eight coaches produced no postseason series wins, and from 2019-20 through 2023-24 the club went 94-290 (.245).
Last season, Cunningham and Duren led a 30-win improvement before the Pistons fell to the New York Knicks in six games in the opening playoff round. Bickerstaff said Tuesday’s accomplishment is another step forward: “You respect how hard it is to reach these milestones, and we believe there’s more ahead.”
Source: ESPN
