Pistons win 7th-straight game for first time since 2014-15: What’s going right?

DETROIT — As the Detroit Pistons dribbled the clock out against the LA Clippers on Monday night, Jalen Duren walked around the court with seven fingers held high.

His celebratory lap around the hardwood came prematurely, considering the Pistons hadn’t officially sealed their 106-97 victory over the Clippers. But when you notch the franchise’s first seven-game win streak in a decade, being this overzealous is OK.

Detroit’s winning streak is its longest since the 2014-15 season and it ties the Pistons with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the longest active win streak in the NBA at the moment. This streak alone accounts for half the wins Detroit managed all of last season. This season’s Pistons accomplished in just over two weeks what last season’s team struggled to do over 82 games.

The turnaround general manager Trajan Langdon and coach J.B. Bickerstaff are spearheading isn’t just the most drastic we’ve seen this season. It’s also one of the most drastic we’ve seen over the last handful of years in the association. And what excited Bickerstaff the most was his team’s ability to maintain focus on the second night of a back-to-back.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys to show that resiliency and to show that mental toughness,” Bickerstaff said postgame. “We had some tired guys out there, but they found a way to manipulate the game, so we were able to play at our speed to play into our favor. Playing a ton of minutes, the travel, the time you get in. So, you give our guys a ton of credit because this win tonight was not easy.”

Although this was the first game during the streak Detroit didn’t win by double digits, the Pistons have been outscoring opponents by 16.2 points over these seven games. So, what has Detroit rolling like this over its streak?

Let’s look into some numbers.

Over their last seven games, Detroit ranks second in the NBA in points per game (125.1), second in field goal percentage (50.5), fourth in assists per game (30.7), fifth in 3-point percentage (38.6), fifth in rebounds (48.6) and sixth in steals (9.1). The Pistons also own the highest net rating (16) in the league over that span.

Cade 🤝 Duren pic.twitter.com/IFZu0MPwz0

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 25, 2025

“I think we still feel like we have to earn the league’s respect, and we do still have to earn the league’s respect,” said Cade Cunningham, who had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists against the Clippers. “Every night you have to come with it, you have to play with that grit, you have to play with that sense of urgency and that’s something that I think we’ve gotten better and better at as the season’s gone on.”

While this win streak should open some eyes about Detroit around the NBA, LA is the lone team with a winning record the Pistons have beaten over this span. Wednesday’s matchup against the defending champion Boston Celtics will offer Detroit a test to see where it stacks up against one of the NBA’s elites.

So far this season, the Pistons have not been great against teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings. Detroit is 3-12 against the Cavaliers, Celtics, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers.

But the Pistons still believe they can win against anyone, on any given night. Why?

“Coach Bickerstaff and his staff,” Cunningham continued. “I think he’s Coach of the Year, obviously. The things that he’s done, how prepared we’ve been, I’m not surprised that we’ve won so many games. We feel more prepared than other teams.”

It helps Bickerstaff’s case to have an All-Star like Cunningham. He’s undoubtedly been the Pistons’ best player. But specifically over these seven games, Cunningham is averaging 27.2 points, 9.5 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He’s also shooting 52.3 percent from the field, 44.7 percent from 3-point range and 88.2 percent from the free-throw line.

If he’d made just one more of his 34 free throws, he’d have the coveted 50/40/90 shooting splits elite shooters desire.

Nearly all of Detroit’s starters are seeing increased numbers and productivity over this stretch, but none more than Tobias Harris. Bickerstaff called Harris his “security blanket” Monday for the second time this season.

The veteran, in his second stint with the Pistons, has been good for 19 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game over these seven games. He’s been efficient as well, shooting 60.2 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from behind the arc and 90.5 percent from the line.

If Cunningham can be more accurate from the free-throw line Wednesday, he can join Harris as another 50/40/90 guy in the starting lineup.

Even if not, Detroit has hit its stride at the right time in the season. And the Pistons’ next matchup will give them a chance to win eight consecutive games for the first time since December of 2006.

(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)