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Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pistons complete epic turnaround, clinch playoff spot with win over Raptors
The Detroit Pistons have officially clinched an NBA playoff spot for the first time in six years. Their road victory over the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Friday night guarantees the Pistons a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, which begin April 19. The Pistons will avoid the play-in tournament, which features the Nos. 7-10 seeds in each conference and takes place April 15-18. Advertisement This is the Pistons' fourth time making the playoffs since the franchise's last East finals appearance 17 years ago, in 2008, and third since owner Tom Gores purchased the team ahead of the 2011-12 season. Detroit Pistons playoff seed in Eastern Conference Friday's victory moved the Pistons into fifth place in the East by themselves, half a game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks and three games behind the fourth-place Indiana Pacers. In the playoffs, the East's 6-seed will face the 3-seed — currently the New York Knicks, 2½ games up on the Pacers — while the 4- and 5-seeds face off. Ron Holland of the Detroit Pistons celebrates a first half turnover by the Chicago Bulls with Cade Cunningham at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. The Pistons lead the series over the Knicks, 2-1, with the final game taking place in Detroit on Thursday. The Pistons lost three of four to the Pacers this season. Advertisement The Pistons trail the series against the Bucks, 2-0, and will play them twice in a row to conclude the season, April 11 and 13. READ MORE: Dennis Schröder's veteran play is right on time for Detroit Pistons It has been a historic season — the Pistons are the first team in NBA history to triple their win total from the previous season (14) as they secured a winning record for only the second time in the past 17 years. Detroit Pistons playoff losing streak Next up: Snapping an NBA-record 14-game postseason losing streak that dates back to the 2008 Eastern Conference finals. The Pistons lost the final two games of that series, then were swept in the first round in 2009 (by the Cavaliers), 2016 (the Cavs again) and 2019 (by the Bucks). Advertisement [ MUST WATCH: Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress). This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons NBA playoffs: Spot clinched with win over Raptors
New York Times
18-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Pistons regroup to defeat Pelicans on road: ‘This group has a grit to it'
NEW ORLEANS — The boos at Smoothie King Center began at the end of the first quarter Monday. The Detroit Pistons, en route to a 127-81 shellacking of the New Orleans Pelicans, had outscored the Pelicans 35-13 in the first 12 minutes. While the boos stopped during occasional New Orleans runs, they continued periodically throughout the night. And rightfully so. Fans at Smooth King Center eventually watched their team allow the Pistons to post their second-largest victory in franchise history. Tonight's 46-point (127-81) victory over New Orleans was Detroit's second-largest in franchise history (52, Jan. 31, 2003 vs Boston). They held the Pelicans to 81 points, their fewest by an opponent since Jan. 10, 2018 against Brooklyn (114-80). — Pistons PR (@Pistons_PR) March 18, 2025 Monday's mauling from Detroit proved three things true at this juncture in the season. First, the Pistons continue developing defensive chemistry. Second, Simone Fontecchio found his best offensive rhythm of the year, finishing with a season-high 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting including a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range. Advertisement He added seven rebounds, a steal and was a plus-24 — the third-highest in the game behind Ron Holland's game-high plus-34 and Malik Beasley's plus-31. Third, Detroit avoided losing three consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 29, when they fell to the Indiana Pacers. The Pistons are growing into a team that seems to correct their mistakes over a string of losses before those losses snowball into a longer losing streak. Let the fact that this is a necessary trait for postseason success soothe the minds of any Detroit fans still scarred from last season's NBA-record 28-game losing streak. The Pistons' longest losing streak this season came during their first four games. Detroit has consistently shown it can recalibrate after multiple losses. Veteran Tobias Harris, who chipped in with nine points and six rebounds for the Pistons, spoke to the simplicity of their approach leading to their success Monday. 'I thought we did a good job of handling our business,' Harris said after the win. 'Defending, getting out in transition and finishing. We just took what the game presented. We didn't try to make any really tough plays out there. We just took advantage of what was presented to us. 'We had a professional style game, in terms of making the simple play offensively and defensively. I thought that was beneficial for us tonight.' Flex on 'em Unc — Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) March 18, 2025 Detroit forced 16 New Orleans turnovers and converted them into 20 points. To Harris' point on fast-break scoring, the Pistons posted 23 of their points in transition. Detroit flew around defensively, contesting shots and ultimately limiting the Pelicans to 32.6 percent shooting and 15.6 percent from long range. Zion Williamson had a game-high 30 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He was the only New Orleans player to score 13 or more points. Williamson was the only Pelicans player to make more than four field goals on the evening. Advertisement The Pistons guards outplayed the Pelicans' backcourt all night. C.J. McCollum was held to three points on 1-of-15 shooting. Jose Alvarado went 1-of-10 for three points. Second-year guard Jordan Hawkins shot 2-of-11 and scored six points. Combined, they scored 12 points. Each Pistons guard — Cade Cunningham (24), Fontecchio and Dennis Schröder (12) — reached the 12-point threshold themselves. 'This group has a grit to it,' Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said postgame. 'They've got a mental and physical toughness. And a togetherness that allows them to see things like (the two-game losing streak), understand what's in front of us and then go out and do it together. That's the best part about it. They don't want to disappoint each other. 'They don't let each other down. They know when it's time and they trust each other. That trust leads to chemistry and then you mix in the execution and it leads to success.' Fontecchio personified the grit Bickerstaff spoke on. He hadn't played at least 20 minutes in six-straight games, hadn't taken more than six shots in six games and hadn't notched a 20-point game this season. He's a 🪣 — Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) March 18, 2025 But none of that mattered Monday. Fontecchio did the bulk of his damage in the fourth quarter, when he went a perfect 6-of-6 shooting including 4-of-4 from long range. He caught fire from behind the arc and got to the basket for a layup and dunk. 'We know (Fontecchio) is capable of knocking down shots,' Bickerstaff said. 'We know we're going to need all of him and tonight, I thought, was a great night for him. … It was great to see it for him.' Thanks to Detroit's developing defensive chemistry, Fontecchio and the Pistons' resilience, they improved to 38-21. Detroit is still sixth in the Eastern Conference and seems heading for a playoff season against either the New York Knicks (43-24, third in the East), Milwaukee Bucks (38-29, fourth in the East) or Indiana Pacers (38-29, fifth in the East). The Pistons begin this road trip with a win before taking on the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks before flying back to Detroit. Pay attention to how these trends continue to unfold as the road trip and regular season both come to an end.
