Detroit dominates Philadelphia to formalize top seed in the East

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

It’s official.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Detroit Pistons once again claimed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Eager to put the cherry on top of their historic turnaround two years after recording their franchise-worst record of 14 wins and 68 losses, Detroit is now the team to beat in the East, pummeling the Philadelphia 76ers, 116-93, to achieve the feat on April 5, 2026.

Still without their superstar Cade Cunningham, who was diagnosed with a left lung pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, the Pistons banked on a balanced offensive attack led by veteran small forward Tobias Harris and point guard Daniss Jenkins.

Detroit immediately blew the game wide open after establishing a double-digit advantage and never looked back, smoking the 76ers with their high-octane attack from both the perimeter and the shaded lane.

The 76ers tried to bounce back and make it a game in the second period, but a demoralizing rally from Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson helped restore order for the Pistons entering the second half.

Despite opting for a 1-3-1 zone defense, Philadelphia still failed to show a glimmer of hope when the Pistons countered with simple high-low plays designed for Duren and several decoy plays for Duncan Robinson, which turned into backdoor conversions for Jenkins and skipper Ronald Holland.

The most deflating quarter for the 76ers came in the fourth frame, when the Pistons held them to their lowest-scoring period of the month at just 12 points, made possible by a hybrid of man-to-man and 1-2-2 mixed-zone defense.

When things got out of hand and Detroit mounted its biggest lead of the ballgame at 26 points in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse decided to throw in the towel with seven minutes still remaining in the game.

Harris led the Pistons with 19 points on an efficient 7-of-13 shooting from the field, alongside four rebounds, four steals, and two assists.

Backstopping the veteran skipper were Duren and Jenkins, who each dropped 16 markers, while Thompson and Robinson delivered 14 and 11 points, respectively.

On the other hand, the 76ers dropped to 43-35 but are in danger of being relegated to the NBA Play-In if they fall below the .500 mark in their last four games of the regular season.