Pistons clinch No. 1 seed in Eastern Conference with win over 76ers

The Detroit Pistons cruised to a 116-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night and secured a critical milestone in the process.

With the win, the Pistons clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They leave Saturday with a 57-21 record and four games remaining in the regular season. They’re 4.5 games ahead of the second-place Boston Celtics, who cannot catch them in the standings.

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Saturday’s win was secured via a balanced offensive effort as seven different Pistons scored in double figures. Tobias Harris led the way with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

The Pistons limited a 76ers team playing without Joel Embiid to 44% shooting from the floor and 28% shooting from 3 while forcing 15 turnovers. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 23 points.

The No. 1 seed is the first for the Pistons since the 2006-7 season. They lost in the Eastern Conference finals that season to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers.

Will Cade Cunningham be back for playoffs?

Detroit will be guaranteed home-court advantage as along as it advances through the Eastern Conference playoffs. Doing so won’t come easy as the status of All-Star and team leader Cade Cunningham remains unclear.

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Cunningham has missed 10 straight games since being diagnosed with a collapsed lung in mid-March. The Pistons announced on Thursday that he’s making progress in his recovery, but a precise return timeline remains unclear.

Cunningham is scheduled to be re-evaluated next week. The playoffs are scheduled to start on April 18.

The Pistons have gone 8-2 in Cunningham’s absence and no longer have much to play for in the regular season. Surpassing the 61-16 Oklahoma City Thunder and the 59-19 San Antonio Spurs for guaranteed home-court advantage throughout the playoffs would be a long shot even with Cunningham in the lineup.

The Pistons can now shift their focus to the postseason and hope that Cunningham will be available for a first-round matchup.

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/pistons-clinch-no-1-seed-in-eastern-conference-with-win-over-76ers-014917248.html

Author : Jason Owens

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

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