Pistons aim to secure East’s top seed in clash vs. Sixers

The Detroit Pistons are one win away from accomplishing a feat they haven’t achieved in nearly 20 years.

The Pistons will aim to secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2007 when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

Detroit (56-21) needs one win — or one loss by the second-place Boston Celtics (52-25) — to clinch home-court advantage throughout the East postseason. Both the Pistons and Celtics have five regular-season games remaining.

The Pistons have played well without star guard Cade Cunningham, who will continue to recover from a collapsed lung this weekend. He has missed the last nine games, during which the team has gone 7-2, with both losses coming in overtime.

Most recently, Detroit topped the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-108 on Thursday as Daniss Jenkins scored 26 points and Jalen Duren notched 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons.

In addition to playing without Cunningham, the team got only six minutes out of Tobias Harris (knee injury), who is questionable to face his former team on Saturday.

“I give our guys credit. They just seem to figure out a way, and typically it starts with our defense,” Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.

The Pistons held the Timberwolves to 31% 3-point shooting and forced 14 turnovers, led by Ausar Thompson, the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month in both January and March.

Thompson finished with seven points, nine rebounds, nine assists, three blocks and two steals against Minnesota.

“Throughout his career, that’s what he wants to do,” Bickerstaff said of Thompson racking up the monthly honors, “and that’s where he wants to put his impact on the game.”

Duncan Robinson chipped in with 15 points for the Pistons. He enters Saturday’s game with seven straight double-digit scoring performances, having made multiple 3-pointers in each of those contests.

“We find different ways to win,” noted reserve guard Kevin Huerter. “There are different guys (who step up). We piece it together. That’s the sign of a good team.”

Philadelphia (43-34) has won eight of its last 11 games, including a 115-103 victory over Minnesota on Friday. The Sixers are tied with the Toronto Raptors for the No. 6 seed in the East.

Paul George scored 23 points against the Timberwolves while adding six rebounds, six assists and four steals. He is averaging 27.0 points in five games since coming back from a 25-game suspension for taking a banned substance.

“His shot making has been so good that teams are … almost forcing him inside the (3-point) line, and he’s been able to take it (to the rim), which is good,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said.

Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in with 21 points, including two clutch 3-pointers down the stretch. Joel Embiid contributed 19 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.

The Sixers scored 42 points in the third quarter after managing just 41 in the first half.

“I think we just started playing a little smarter offensively,” Nurse said of the second-half surge. “I think we did an excellent job of doing almost everything we wanted to in the second half, offensively, and the defense stayed just about the same.”

The Pistons have won all three matchups against the Sixers this season.

–Field Level Media