Pistons clinch No. 1 seed in East with win over Sixers

Two years ago, the Detroit Pistons were the laughing stock of the NBA and seemingly without hope. Tonight, they clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Pistons used suffocating second-half defense to easily handle a tired Philadelphia 76ers team en route to an easy 116-93 win. All five Pistons starters scored in double figures, and two bench players joined in on the fun. They were led by Tobias Harris, who was booed lustily by a still-angry Sixers crowd that is apparently mad at Harris for saying yes to a huge contract that Sixers ownership offered him. Apparently, they are still angry Harris was signed to be the third man in Philly and played like a third man in Philly. He scored 19 points and had four steals on the night. He seemed to relish every opportunity to channel those boos into a patented backdown mid-range jumper.

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The best player for the Pistons was Daniss Jenkins, who has been on a tear since entering the starting lineup for an injured Cade Cunningham. Jenkins had 16 points, 14 assists, and just one turnover on the night. He hit a bit of the not-quite-rookie wall in February, but he’s clearly on the other side of that. Now, he looks like he will be more than capable of playing critical minutes for a Pistons playoff run.

The game was a bit back and forth, mainly powered by quick scoring bursts on either side. The Pistons were able to get a 10-point lead after the first quarter, but it was quickly erased, with Detroit nursing a 47-45 lead with 8:09 in the second. It was all tied up at 56 with four minutes to play in the second, thanks to a great 18-point first-half permance by Paul George, but Detroit went on yet another run, taking a 71-60 lead into halftime.

The game completely flipped in the third quarter. The Sixers went into a zone at the midway point of the third quarter, and Detroit couldn’t figure it out. Meanwhile, Philly started to show some tired legs, playing its second game in two days, and could do nothing against Detroit’s ferocious defense. Things just got worse in the fourth.

Adam Bona had a tip dunk for the first basket of the final quarter to make the…

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Publish date : 2026-04-05 01:49:00

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