With a 117-105 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday, the Detroit Pistons have clinched a playoff spot a year after winning an NBA-low 14 games. It has been one one of the best single-season turnarounds in league history as Detroit is actually the first team to triple its win total from the previous year.
The 14 wins in 2023-24 is also the lowest total for a team that made the playoffs the following season.
The Pistons technically own the East’s No. 5 seed at the moment, but that’s only because they have played one more game than the six-seed Bucks. Detroit and Milwaukee are tied in the loss column, and Milwaukee would win the tiebreaker today with a 2-0 head-to-head record.
But … the Pistons and Bucks close the season with two consecutive games against one another. Those two games will very likely determine the Nos. 5 and 6 seeds, with neither team likely to catch the No. 4 Pacers, who have a three-game lead with five to play and also own the tiebreaker over Detroit.
“Honestly, right now, it’s hard to put emotions together,” third-year big man Jalen Duren said of the clinched playoff spot. “It’s a testament to all the hard work we put in since day one. But we’re not done yet. Nowhere near satisfied. We’re going to keep going, keep growing, and keep stacking.”
Detroit once again won without its likely All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham on Friday. Cunningham has been out since March 21 with a calf contusion, and the Pistons have won four of six over the span — albeit with three of the wins coming over the tanking Pelicans, Spurs and now Raptors.
Mixed in there, however, was a 133-122 win over the full-strength Cavaliers, which would be impressive even with Cunningham on the floor. Without him, that game further drove home the point that the Pistons are an honest threat to win a first-round series.
Even if they fall to No. 6 and play the Knicks, they can give New York a real problem — though they wouldn’t be favored to win. If it’s a 4-5 matchup with Indiana, that could be a coin flip, although Indiana is one of the few teams that has been better than Detroit since the All-Star break.
But the Pistons have been cooking for a while. Since Jan. 1, they own the third-best defensive rating and fifth-best net rating in the league, with an offense that sits just outside the top 10. Cunningham is the engine, but the Pistons are loaded with good young players and quality vets like Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder.
If you’re going to beat the Pistons, you’re going to earn it. They play hard. They defend like crazy and with the relentless driving of Cunningham being a source of consistent offensive creation, there are playoff markers all over this team. Now they’ve sealed a top-six spot to prove it.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Kyle Manzardo’s walk-off homer lifts Guardians over Twins after lengthy rain delay
CLEVELAND — Chris Paddack and the Minnesota Twins pitching staff were very good in a rain-delayed game on Tuesday night. The Cleveland Guardian pitchers were just a little better.Tanner Bibee and two high-leverage relievers shut down a hot Twins offense, and Bo Naylor and Kyle Manzardo each went deep, the latter with a walk-off home run, as the Guardians won 2-1 at Progressive Field. Manzardo’s solo homer off Louie Varland to start the ninth inning snapped the Twins’ four-game winning streak and evened the four-game series.AdvertisementThe teams waited out a 190-minute rain delay during which it only rained for roughly five minutes.“We were playing good baseball,” Twins shortstop Carlos Correa said. “It was a good game. We didn’t come up with a win. Come back (Wednesday) and keep up the same spirits. We’ve been playing great ball for the last […]
„Das darf bei uns nie passieren!“ – Wovor Kompany die Bayern-Stars warnt
Am Samstag in Leipzig kann Bayern-Trainer Vincent Kompany (39) den Gewinn der Deutschen Meisterschaft perfekt machen. Der Belgier legt jedoch Wert darauf, dass es nicht seine erste Meisterschaft wäre: Mit Burnley wurde er 2023 in der zweiten englischen Liga Erster.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Der Gewinn der Schale in seiner ersten Saison als Bayern-Coach wäre für den 39-Jährigen ein großer Erfolg, der auch deswegen gelingen würde, weil es dem Belgier zu Saisonbeginn schnell gelungen war, eine Wagenburg-Mentalität aufzubauen, die es so bei Bayern lange nicht gegeben hatte – weder unter Thomas Tuchel (51) noch unter Julian Nagelsmann (37). Er stellt die Spieler nicht vor der Gruppe bloß, übt scharfe Kritik nur in Einzelgesprächen. Was denkt er sich dabei?: Türkei-Star tickt komplett aus<!-->[-->Quelle: BILD/DAZN28.04.2025Kompany zeigte sogar Beispiele, wie Profis von anderen Teams mit öffentlichen Statements die eigene Mannschaft anzählten und damit den Teamgeist gefährdeten: […]
Fluminense x Aparecidense: só motivação não basta mais para evolução do tricolor; leia análise
Com força máxima, o Fluminense esperava encaminhar a classificação às oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil na última terça-feira. Mas não foi isso o que se viu no Maracanã. O time de Renato Gaúcho venceu a modesta Aparecidense-GO, da Série D do Campeonato Brasileiro, por 1 a 0, graças a um gol de Keno aos 35 minutos do 2º tempo e deixou o campo sob vaias da torcida. O desempenho da equipe não foi o único motivo que gerou preocupação aos torcedores: Germán Cano sofreu uma entorse no joelho esquerdo ainda nos primeiros minutos do duelo e fará exames nesta quarta-feira para saber a gravidade da lesão. Alvo definido: Com Ancelotti descartado, CBF tem Jorge Jesus como plano B pronto para ser acionadoSantos: Advogados de Caixinha notificam CBF por permitir que clube registre Cleber Xavier sem pagar rescisão de […]
Russell Westbrook’s vintage performance sparks Nuggets’ win over Clippers
<!--> Jamal Murray erupted for 43 points and Russell Westbrook chipped in 21 in his return from a foot injury, sparking the Nuggets' 131-115 win over the LA Clippers on Tuesday night that gave Denver a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.-->The Nuggets also got 23 from Game 4 hero Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic's 21st career playoff triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists).Again, Denver took a 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter only to watch the Clippers go on a furious run, like they did in Game 4 when they erased their entire deficit only to lose 101-99 when Gordon's buzzer-beater for the first walk-off dunk in NBA playoff history.ADVERTISEMENT <!-->This time, the Clippers went on a 17-4 run to cut their deficit to single digits at 116-107, but the Nuggets fended off another frenetic finish by […]
Trainersuche bei Leverkusen – Ex-Bayern-Star als Alonso-Nachfolger im Visier!
Nach der Niederlage im spanischen Pokalfinale gegen Barcelona (2:3 n. V.) kam Bewegung in die Trainer-Entscheidung bei Real Madrid. Vor allem das fiese Gesicht der Verlierer-Stars um den deutschen Verteidiger Antonio Rüdiger (32) mit insgesamt drei Roten Karten in den Schluss-Sekunden für Real beschleunigten den Trennungs-Prozess von Trainer Carlo Ancelotti (65). Am Sonntagabend hieß es aus der spanischen Hauptstadt, dass die Verkündung nur noch eine Frage von Stunden sei. In Leverkusen verfolgten sie die Entwicklung mit Spannung – je schneller es geht, desto besser. Der Grund: Xabi Alonso ist der Top-Favorit auf den Job bei Real. Der Bayer-Trainer kann seinen Wechsel-Wunsch mit den Bossen Simon Rolfes (43) und Fernando Carro (60) erst dann konkret besprechen, wenn Real seine Entscheidung öffentlich verkündet hat und offiziell mit Alonso in Kontakt tritt. Anschließend kann es schnell gehen bei Bayer mit der Alonso-Nachfolge.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Leverkusen: […]
Oilers win third straight, push Kings to brink of elimination: Game 5 takeaways
LOS ANGELES — Even as their confidence continued to build throughout the series, the Edmonton Oilers still needed to win a game at the Los Angeles Kings’ rink, where the home team has been dominant all season.On Tuesday night in a pivotal Game 5, it was the Oilers who proved dominant while continuing to come through in the clutch.AdvertisementThe Oilers controlled the first two periods and then put a dent in Darcy Kuemper’s stellar performance as Mattias Janmark’s goal at 7:12 of the third period snapped a tie game and lifted Edmonton to a 3-1 victory at Crypto.com Arena.Janmark buried a rebound that Kuemper spat out after stopping Viktor Arvidsson’s initial shot. It was Janmark’s second goal of the series after scoring in Game 1. The 32-year-old forward has 13 goals in 96 postseason contests.Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sealed the victory with […]
Related
Kyle Manzardo’s walk-off homer lifts Guardians over Twins after lengthy rain delay
CLEVELAND — Chris Paddack and the Minnesota Twins pitching staff were very good in a rain-delayed game on Tuesday night. The Cleveland Guardian pitchers were just a little better.Tanner Bibee and two high-leverage relievers shut down a hot Twins offense, and Bo Naylor and Kyle Manzardo each went deep, the latter with a walk-off home run, as the Guardians won 2-1 at Progressive Field. Manzardo’s solo homer off Louie Varland to start the ninth inning snapped the Twins’ four-game winning streak and evened the four-game series.AdvertisementThe teams waited out a 190-minute rain delay during which it only rained for roughly five minutes.“We were playing good baseball,” Twins shortstop Carlos Correa said. “It was a good game. We didn’t come up with a win. Come back (Wednesday) and keep up the same spirits. We’ve been playing great ball for the last […]
„Das darf bei uns nie passieren!“ – Wovor Kompany die Bayern-Stars warnt
Am Samstag in Leipzig kann Bayern-Trainer Vincent Kompany (39) den Gewinn der Deutschen Meisterschaft perfekt machen. Der Belgier legt jedoch Wert darauf, dass es nicht seine erste Meisterschaft wäre: Mit Burnley wurde er 2023 in der zweiten englischen Liga Erster.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Der Gewinn der Schale in seiner ersten Saison als Bayern-Coach wäre für den 39-Jährigen ein großer Erfolg, der auch deswegen gelingen würde, weil es dem Belgier zu Saisonbeginn schnell gelungen war, eine Wagenburg-Mentalität aufzubauen, die es so bei Bayern lange nicht gegeben hatte – weder unter Thomas Tuchel (51) noch unter Julian Nagelsmann (37). Er stellt die Spieler nicht vor der Gruppe bloß, übt scharfe Kritik nur in Einzelgesprächen. Was denkt er sich dabei?: Türkei-Star tickt komplett aus<!-->[-->Quelle: BILD/DAZN28.04.2025Kompany zeigte sogar Beispiele, wie Profis von anderen Teams mit öffentlichen Statements die eigene Mannschaft anzählten und damit den Teamgeist gefährdeten: […]
Fluminense x Aparecidense: só motivação não basta mais para evolução do tricolor; leia análise
Com força máxima, o Fluminense esperava encaminhar a classificação às oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil na última terça-feira. Mas não foi isso o que se viu no Maracanã. O time de Renato Gaúcho venceu a modesta Aparecidense-GO, da Série D do Campeonato Brasileiro, por 1 a 0, graças a um gol de Keno aos 35 minutos do 2º tempo e deixou o campo sob vaias da torcida. O desempenho da equipe não foi o único motivo que gerou preocupação aos torcedores: Germán Cano sofreu uma entorse no joelho esquerdo ainda nos primeiros minutos do duelo e fará exames nesta quarta-feira para saber a gravidade da lesão. Alvo definido: Com Ancelotti descartado, CBF tem Jorge Jesus como plano B pronto para ser acionadoSantos: Advogados de Caixinha notificam CBF por permitir que clube registre Cleber Xavier sem pagar rescisão de […]
Russell Westbrook’s vintage performance sparks Nuggets’ win over Clippers
<!--> Jamal Murray erupted for 43 points and Russell Westbrook chipped in 21 in his return from a foot injury, sparking the Nuggets' 131-115 win over the LA Clippers on Tuesday night that gave Denver a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.-->The Nuggets also got 23 from Game 4 hero Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic's 21st career playoff triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists).Again, Denver took a 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter only to watch the Clippers go on a furious run, like they did in Game 4 when they erased their entire deficit only to lose 101-99 when Gordon's buzzer-beater for the first walk-off dunk in NBA playoff history.ADVERTISEMENT <!-->This time, the Clippers went on a 17-4 run to cut their deficit to single digits at 116-107, but the Nuggets fended off another frenetic finish by […]
Trainersuche bei Leverkusen – Ex-Bayern-Star als Alonso-Nachfolger im Visier!
Nach der Niederlage im spanischen Pokalfinale gegen Barcelona (2:3 n. V.) kam Bewegung in die Trainer-Entscheidung bei Real Madrid. Vor allem das fiese Gesicht der Verlierer-Stars um den deutschen Verteidiger Antonio Rüdiger (32) mit insgesamt drei Roten Karten in den Schluss-Sekunden für Real beschleunigten den Trennungs-Prozess von Trainer Carlo Ancelotti (65). Am Sonntagabend hieß es aus der spanischen Hauptstadt, dass die Verkündung nur noch eine Frage von Stunden sei. In Leverkusen verfolgten sie die Entwicklung mit Spannung – je schneller es geht, desto besser. Der Grund: Xabi Alonso ist der Top-Favorit auf den Job bei Real. Der Bayer-Trainer kann seinen Wechsel-Wunsch mit den Bossen Simon Rolfes (43) und Fernando Carro (60) erst dann konkret besprechen, wenn Real seine Entscheidung öffentlich verkündet hat und offiziell mit Alonso in Kontakt tritt. Anschließend kann es schnell gehen bei Bayer mit der Alonso-Nachfolge.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Leverkusen: […]
Oilers win third straight, push Kings to brink of elimination: Game 5 takeaways
LOS ANGELES — Even as their confidence continued to build throughout the series, the Edmonton Oilers still needed to win a game at the Los Angeles Kings’ rink, where the home team has been dominant all season.On Tuesday night in a pivotal Game 5, it was the Oilers who proved dominant while continuing to come through in the clutch.AdvertisementThe Oilers controlled the first two periods and then put a dent in Darcy Kuemper’s stellar performance as Mattias Janmark’s goal at 7:12 of the third period snapped a tie game and lifted Edmonton to a 3-1 victory at Crypto.com Arena.Janmark buried a rebound that Kuemper spat out after stopping Viktor Arvidsson’s initial shot. It was Janmark’s second goal of the series after scoring in Game 1. The 32-year-old forward has 13 goals in 96 postseason contests.Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sealed the victory with […]
Be the first to leave a comment