The Detroit Pistons once again posted a dominant victory over their Eastern Conference rivals.
They defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 131-109 on Thursday, March 12 at Little Caesars Arena for their second straight victory after a season-high four-game losing streak. After defeating the Brooklyn Nets 138-100 on the road, the Pistons remained hot at home. Facing the 76ers who lacked top players, the Pistons shot 53.9% overall.
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Thanks to the efforts of double-digit scorer Duncan Robinson (19 points, 4 assists), the Pistons led by as many as 35 points. Javonte Green (17 points, 3 steals), Tobias Harris (15 points), Ron Holland (15 points), Jalen Duren (14 points, 10 rebounds), Isaiah Stewart (13 points, 2 blocks) and Kevin Huerter (12 points). Cade Cunningham scored 8 points and had 13 assists. It was the first time in more than two years that Cunningham scored less than 10 points in a game, dating back to a March 3, 2024 loss to the Orlando Magic.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) goes for a layup during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Thursday, March 12, 2026.
More: 3 factors behind Detroit Pistons’ ugly four-game losing streak
With the win, the Pistons (47-18) extended their lead over the East’s top-seeded Boston Celtics to four games; the Celtics face the Western Conference-leading Thunder in a game that ends Thursday night. The Pistons also extended their Central Division lead to 7.5 games over the idle Cleveland Cavaliers. With 17 games remaining, the Pistons are 11 games ahead of the Toronto Raptors, the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.
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What’s next for the Pistons
Detroit won’t have much time to celebrate the win as the Pistons will play the second game of a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit). At least the Pistons don’t have to go too far to take on the Grizzlies, though. This game will also be played at Little Caesars Arena before they head to Toronto and Washington for a three-game road trip.
medical roll call
The 76ers lost leading scorer Tyrese Maxey (who will miss at least three weeks with a tendon injury in his right little finger), star center Joel Embiid (strained right oblique), forward Paul George (suspended 25 games), wing Kelly Oubre (sprained left elbow), center Andre Drummond (back spasms) and Adem Bonner (sore back). The Pistons were without Osar Thompson (sprained right ankle) for their fourth straight game.
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Cade Cunningham’s pass makes the difference for 76ers
It wasn’t Cunningham’s brightest night, nor was it his most impactful. In fact, this was his lowest scoring game of the season and the first time he scored less than 10 points. But it was still an efficient game, with Cunningham’s playmaking setting the tone for the Pistons all night.
He provided four of the Pistons’ first five assists during a 22-10 run in the first quarter, opened the game with a layup, and then found Robinson and Harris for back-to-back 3-pointers. Nine of his 13 assists came in the first half, as the Pistons shot 57.8% overall and 42.1% (8-for-19) from three-point range.
Cunningham performed well with 1:50 left in the third quarter and the Pistons led 102-78. He played just 28 minutes in the first half of a back-to-back — the second straight game the Pistons held him under 30 minutes. Cunningham is one of the most overloaded players in the league, tied with James Harden for ninth-most minutes per night at 35.
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Pistons shake off shooting slump
Cold shooting has been a theme during the Pistons’ two-week slump, which has included a four-game losing streak and poor performances at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers (without Harden and Donovan Mitchell) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the starting five).
From February 23 to March 3, the Pistons made less than 10 three-pointers in five consecutive games, shooting only 24.3% from three-point range, and had a total record of 3 wins and 2 losses. They shot 39.8 percent from the field over their last four games before Thursday and continued their hot streak by hitting 40 percent (14 of 35) from 3-point range against the 76ers.
Robinson shot 5-for-7 against Philadelphia and is shooting 39.6 percent from 3-point range this season and 11-for-24 (45.8 percent) over the past five games.
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[ MUST WATCH: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube. ]
Please contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons spread scoring in win over Philadelphia 76ers
