The Detroit Pistons have done something they haven’t done since the 2006-07 NBA season: be the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
This came after Tobias Harris, Daniss Jenkins, and Jalen Duren helped the Pistons truck over the Philadelphia 76ers, 116-93, on Sunday in Philly. The win was Detroit’s 57th of this season against 21 losses, and the team’s 8th in 10 games without superstar guard Cade Cunningham. It also puts the Pistons out of reach of the Boston Celtics, who can only get to 56 wins if they sweep their remaining games.
Jenkins continued his emergence, finishing with 16 points and 14 assists, while Harris top-scored with 19 even as he played with a left knee contusion. Duren had 16 points and 7 rebounds while nursing an illness. The Sixers, meanwhile, got 23 points from Tyrese Maxey, 20 from Paul George, and 19 from VJ Edgecombe.
Pistons Get Home Court Advantage Up to Eastern Conference Finals
Just as Cunningham’s collapsed lung seemed to have thrown a monkey wrench into a great season, it appears to have done the opposite. Rather than unravel, the Pistons have shown remarkable resilience and may have unleashed a potential playoff weapon in Jenkins. Since Cunningham’s unfortunate diagnosis, Jenkins has been averaging 19.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 7.0 assists, filling in admirably for the sidelined All-Star.
In part thanks to Jenkins’ emergence, Detroit will also have home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs—something a team with little postseason experience could surely lean on. The Pistons, as of this writing, are 30-9 at home, and it should be reassuring to the team that they’ll have home-court advantage even after losing their best player down the stretch.
The Pistons next take on the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, while the Sixers face the San Antonio Spurs on the same day.
