Pistons clinch playoff spot for 1st time since 2018-19
The Detroit Pistons are returning to the postseason for the first time in six years.
The Pistons clinched a playoff spot and a top-six finish in the Eastern Conference with Friday's 117-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way for Detroit with a team-high 23 points, while Jalen Duren chipped in with a double-double of 21 points and 18 rebounds.
Raptors rookie Ja'Kobe Walter posted 22 points, but it wasn't enough for the win. The loss marked Toronto's 50th of the campaign, the first time the team has dropped 50-plus games in back-to-back seasons since its first three campaigns from 1995-98.
The Pistons finished last season with a franchise-worst 14 wins, including an NBA-record 28-game losing streak. However, they've made a remarkable turnaround this season.
"It's a big deal for the group," Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said postgame, according to the Detroit News' Coty M. Davis. "This is an opportunity for this group to reflect on where it is, where it's come from, and what it's been able to accomplish together."
Star guard Cade Cunningham - who missed the previous six games with a calf contusion - was still in high school the last time the Pistons made the playoffs.
Cunningham has blossomed into an All-Star this season, recording career highs in points per game (25.7), assists per game (9.2), and field-goal percentage (46.2).
The Pistons finished the 2018-19 season with a 41-41 record and were swept in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks in their last playoff appearance. Detroit has already surpassed that win total with 43 this season, its most victories in nine years.
"We're not done yet," Duren said, according to The Associated Press' Ian Harrison. "We're going to take a moment to enjoy what we've accomplished, but it's only milestones. The real goal, obviously, is to bring championships back to our city."
Bickerstaff has turned the Pistons into an offensive juggernaut in his first year at the helm, as they entered Friday with a franchise-best 114.8 offensive rating.
Duren praised his coach's abilities following the victory.
"To me, he's Coach of the Year," Duren said, per Davis. "It starts with him. He's the head of the snake. ... The thing about J.B. is you see that he has our back, and we have his back.
"We wouldn't be here without him."
The Pistons sit fifth in the East, a half-game ahead of the Bucks.