The Detroit Pistons locked up the Eastern Conference’s best record on Saturday night, rolling past the Philadelphia 76ers 116-93 at Wells Fargo Center and clinching home-court advantage through the conference playoffs for the first time since 2007—despite playing the past nine games without franchise cornerstone Cade Cunningham.
Cunningham has been sidelined by a collapsed lung since late March and is not expected to return until the opening game of the postseason. Detroit has thrived in his absence, going 7-2, with both defeats coming in overtime.
Offense by committee
All-Star center Jalen Duren has shouldered a larger scoring load, averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds on 66 percent shooting since Cunningham went down. Reserve guard Daniss Jenkins, emerging from a midseason slump, is contributing 19.3 points and more than seven assists per contest; he handed out 14 assists Saturday, one shy of his career high.
Defensive surge
Wing Ausar Thompson, the league leader in steals and a two-time Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month, said the lineup change forced the team “to be more gritty.” Detroit has produced the NBA’s third-best defensive rating during the nine-game stretch and has lifted its three-point accuracy to 38.8 percent, after spending most of the season in the bottom third.
Philadelphia’s scoring dropped in every period, ending with a 12-point fourth quarter as the Pistons pulled away. The Sixers, battling to avoid the Play-In Tournament, fell into a tie for seventh place with the loss.
Missing pieces
Detroit has also been without forward Isaiah Stewart, sidelined by a left calf strain since March 13. Even so, Tobias Harris—booed frequently in his return to Philadelphia—led six Pistons in double figures with 19 points in 26 minutes. “Let’s go show everybody we can ball,” Harris said of the team’s response to Cunningham’s injury.
The Pistons expect Cunningham to be re-evaluated in a week and, barring setbacks, cleared for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs in two weeks. “I can’t wait to have him back,” Thompson said. “The energy is going to stay the same. He’s going to lead us.”
Source: ESPN
