Pistons vs Clippers final score: Detroit beats LAC to win seventh straight

Detroit has won seven straight games for the first time since 2014-15.

Beginning a long stretch of home games, the Detroit Pistons kicked off their first of four at Little Caesars Arena by hosting the Los Angeles Clippers. With the Clippers having almost the same record as the Pistons, this was an important game to get a win and show that the Eastern Conference teams are just as strong as the Western Conference.

The Pistons are playing as strong as any team in the NBA right now. JB Bickerstaff has these guys in sync and playing their best basketball of the season with roughly 25 games left. They don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon as Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons took it to the Clippers 106-97 tonight to stretch their win to streak to seven.

Detroit was the better team tonight. When they would extend their lead, the Clippers would find a way to get back into the game, but the Pistons would never give the lead back. Cade was the best player on the floor once again and he was in complete control. He was incredibly efficient and has been playing at an All-NBA the past several games. Tonight was no different.

The game started off slow with both teams struggling offensively, though, the refs owe the Pistons two points as they missed an obvious foul call on Kris Dunn after tripping Cade Cunningham on a drive. Sixth-Man-of-the-Year candidate Malik Beasley brought the offense off the bench and Detroit ended the quarter on a 10-0 run behind two Beasley threes. The Pistons took a 23-17 lead at the end of the first.

The Clippers didn’t waste any time getting back into the game as they opened the second quarter on a run 14-3. Both teams continued to exchange leads, but Detroit’s playmaking stood out to me. Duren continues to be an intriguing playmaking hub and Cade had a flashback to his quarterback days with a 20-yard dart to Ausar Thompson in transition. With five seconds left, Cunningham hit a three to take a 51-49 lead entering halftime.

Cade led the way for Detroit with 14 points behind three three-pointers and Tobias followed with 11 points. The Clippers top scorers were Kris Dunn (11) and James Harden (10). It was a high-turnover half for both teams. Cade was on triple-double watch after adding five rebounds and five assists as well.

Detroit turned it up in the third quarter. Cade made a beautiful behind-the-back move to set up a lob to Jalen Duren to take a 70-67 lead that forced a Tyronn Lue timeout:

A few minutes later, Ausar followed that up with a lefty hammer on Derrick Jones Jr off a baseline inbounds play:

The Pistons took their largest lead of the game at 10 with a Dennis Schroeder finger roll with three seconds left in the quarter. Detroit had a 85-75 lead heading into the fourth.

The Clippers weren’t going away. After a few Cade turnovers, the Clips went on a 10-2 run to bring the game within two. Ausar was making big plays on both ends of the court as Detroit slowly extended their lead. Cunningham hit the dagger three with a minute left to put the Pistons up 10. Detroit would go on to win 106-97.

Cade Cunningham nearly had a triple-double with 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. He did it efficiently on only 22 shots while also shooting 12 free throws. He connected well from deep hitting four of his nine attempts.

Tobias added 20 points and was the steady vet tonight who was dependable to get a bucket when the offense struggled to find an easy look. He hit multiple post fadeaways and had five rebounds. Duren was a beast on the boards with 18 and Beasley hit three threes despite it feeling like a quiet night for him.

Ausar was truly in his Athletic Draymond role tonight. He finished with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists, four steals, and two blocks. He was everywhere on the court. He had a couple strong finishes at the rim, played the passing lanes well, and showed off his verticality on both sides of the floor.

The Pistons have now won seven straight games for the first time since 2014-2015, and they are 21-9 since December 21st.

Detroit plays again Wednesday night when they host the Eastern Conference #2 seed in the Boston Celtics . Perhaps a playoff preview?