Record: 57-21 OffRtg: 116.9 (10) DefRtg: 108.6 (2) NetRtg: +8.3 (3) Pace: 99.9 (19) Cade Cunningham has missed the last 10 games, but the Pistons have won eight of the 10, with five of those wins coming against teams with winning records. They’ve allowed just 104.7 points per 100 possessions over those five wins (even though Isaiah Stewart has also been out), and by holding the Sixers to just a point per possession on Saturday, the Pistons have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in 19 years. One takeaway Last season, the Pistons were, statistically, the league’s second most improved team from the year before. This season, they’re the fourth most improved, now an amazing 17.3 points per 100 possessions better than they were in 2023-24 (minus-9.0 per 100). That tops the two-year rise that J.B. Bickerstaff oversaw in Cleveland, where the 2022-23 Cavs were 13.9 points per 100 possessions better than the ’20-21 version. With the Pistons having scored 2.2 more points per 100 possessions than the league average, this will be their best offensive season in the last 18 years. And with them having allowed 6.1 per 100 fewer than the league average, it will be their best defensive season in the last 21. What to watch for this week Cunningham has already been eliminated from All-NBA consideration, and he’s going to miss at least two more games. Jalen Duren, meanwhile, needs to play at least 20 minutes in two more games to qualify for both All-NBA and the Most Improved Player award. As things stand, the only thing the team could be playing for is home-court advantage in a potential Finals series with the Spurs, but the Pistons would need to be three games better than San Antonio in the final week to gain that. It’s not clear that the Pistons have an “off” switch, but it could be Chaz Lanier’s time to shine. Week 25: @ ORL, vs. MIL, @ CHA, @ IND
