Pistons clinch 1-seed in latest team-ball masterclass to crush 76ers
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PHILADELPHIA – The Detroit Pistons are the top team in the East – officially.
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They clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 116-93 blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, April 4, at Xfinity Mobile Arena. It's their first No. 1 seed since 2007.
Despite Cade Cunningham missing his 10th straight game with a collapsed left lung, the Pistons (57-21) held the Sixers to 12 points in the fourth quarter on 5-for-20 shooting, and 33 points in the second half in yet another strong defensive performance.
The Pistons pulled away with a 37-16 run that turned a game tied at 56 into a 93-72 blowout late in the third quarter. They were led by Tobias Harris (19 points, four steals) and Daniss Jenkins (16 points, 14 assists). Jalen Duren also scored 16 points with seven rebounds.
As a team, the Pistons shot 49.4% overall and dished 33 assists to 11 turnovers.
The 76ers (43-35) dropped to seventh in the East, and were without Joel Embiid on the second night of a back-to-back after beating Minnesota on Friday.
Pistons clinch No. 1 seed in East
The last time the Pistons clinched the East was in 2006-07, a season they finished with 53 wins and fell in six games to 22-year-old LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals. The Pistons have been the top team in the conference since December, and have had a sizable lead over the No. 2 team through most of the season since. They lead the 2-seed Boston Celtics (52-25) by 4½ games.
The Pistons will have home-court advantage through all three rounds of the East playoffs.
The NBA playoffs begin April 18. With four games remaining, the last milestone remaining for the Pistons is the 60-win threshold.
Daniss Jenkins finding consistency as a starter
Since taking over for Cunningham, Jenkins averaged 19.3 points, seven assists and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 45.5% overall and 44.2% from 3 through nine games entering Saturday. It’s his best sustained stretch of the season, and the former two-way guard has been instrumental in keeping the team afloat without its best player.
He led a hot offensive night for the Pistons, tallying a double-double through the first three periods with 16 points and 10 assists. Detroit led the Sixers, 41-31, after the first quarter. Jenkins had eight points and four assists, and gave the Pistons their final lead of the night at the 9:10 mark with an alley-oop to Duren.
Prior to Cunningham’s injury, Jenkins endured the worst stretch of his young career averaging 6.6 points on 35.5% overall shooting and 25.8% from 3 over a 16-game stretch from Feb. 6 through March 15. It was just a blip, and he has been one of the Pistons’ top players as they close the season on a tear.
He explained to our Shawn Windsor on March 23 after a game-winner against the Los Angeles Lakers what changed during that stretch and how he pulled himself out of it.
Watch the most recent episode of our podcast, "The Pistons Pulse,” streamed live weekly on the Detroit Free Press YouTube channel or listen wherever you get podcasts.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons lock in 1-seed in latest team-ball masterclass to crush 76ers