For five years from 2019 to 2024, the once-proud Detroit Pistons were the worst team in the NBA. Things finally got better last year, when they made a big jump from 14 to 44 wins. That just doesn't happen in the NBA

It turns out, though, that this was just a start. Now the Pistons are on fire, winning their 12th game in a row on Saturday night, beating their nemesis, the Milwaukee Bucks 129-116. Detroit is now one game away from tying a team record for consecutive wins.  They've won 13 games twice, in 1990 and in 2004, both NBA championship seasons.

The streak was nice, and it also came in a game where guard Jaden Ivey, the former Purdue star, returned to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 1. He scored 10 points in his debut after two surgeries.

Here's the game story from Pistons Roundtable wrier Eric Rutter.

Pistons Exercise Demons: Detroit Wins 12th Straight, Snapping 13-Game Losing Streak To Bucks Pistons guard Cade Cunningham casually logged a near-triple-double in Detroit’s big win over the Bucks

"It's like seeing him in his natural state," Pistons guard Cade Cunningham said. "Having the jersey on, playing, being on the court. It's like seeing him at home. And he looked good today. I thought he looked really comfortable out there.

"It doesn't look like he's missed as much time as he has. So, it is a credit to his work and how much time he's put into it, but we're all just super happy for him being back out there."

The Pistons are now 14-2 on the season, the best record in the Eastern Conference, and a full 2.5 games ahead of the surprising Toronto Raptors. Only the defending champion Oklahoma City are better, starting at 16-1 and leading the Western Conference.

And the Pistons, they are for real. Cade Cunningham, the first overall pick in 2021, has become the true superstar that everyone expected from him. He's averaging 27.4 points per game, along with 9.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds.

Jalen Duran, a 6-foot-10 center who was a first-round pick in 2022, has been great, too. He's averaging 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, and is playing like an All-Star. 

Beating the Bucks was a big deal, too, because Detroit had lost 13 straight games to them dating back to 2022. The Bucks, who are 8-9, played without star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is out with a groin injury. 

That the Pistons have made this dramatic turnaround without Ivey is amazing. He was the fifth overall pick by the Pistons in 2022 and paired with Cunningham in the backcourt, they were supposed to be special. But he went down with a broken leg on Jan. 1 and then needed a second surgery in October. 

"When I last played, it was so different," Ivey told reporters after the game. "I feel like we found it as a team, a niche with the team and just connecting with the guys.

"Just cherished the moment to be back out there tonight. Going into it, I was just trying to get my mind wrapped around it just because it's been so long. It took a while for me to get used to it. Get used to warming up and just going through the normal routine again. But it was just so much gratitude to be out there again.''