The Detroit Pistons received a dose of encouraging news when the Pacers released their pre-game injury report, confirming that five of Indiana’s most talented players would be missing Saturday night’s Central Division showdown. 

Without Pascal Siakam or Aaron Nesmith or Andrew Nembhard or T.J. McConnell or Bennedict Mathurin in the lineup, the Pacers were absolutely overwhelmed by Detroit’s stingy defense all night long. The Pistons held Indiana to just 11 points after the first quarter and 25 points by halftime, so Detroit’s top-ranked defense stood strong against a heavily depleted Pacers squad with a 121-78 win. 

The Pistons’ dominant win pushed the club to 30-10 on the season, which is the second-fastest Detroit has reached the 30-win threshold in franchise history. With a 75% winning percentage on the year, the Pistons have now been in first place of the Eastern Conference for over two months. 

Early on, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham set Detroit on the right track and helped the home team quickly gain a 22-1 lead in the first quarter. From that point, it was all Detroit, all game long. Cunningham sat out the entire fourth quarter and finished with 16 points, five assists and three rebounds in the blowout win and pushed the Pistons to 3-0 against the Pacers on the season. 

In his return from injury against the Suns one game prior, Cunningham struggled from the field with a 3-for-16 shooting performance, but the Detroit All-Star looked much more comfortable getting to the second level against the Pacers by hitting shots in the mid-range. Cunningham’s shot diet looked standard in Detroit’s blowout win, and hopefully that is a testament to the point guard’s health. 

By halftime, the Pistons had etched out a 59-25 advantage over the Pacers, and the game was well in hand by that point. At the break. Pistons forward Javonte Green shared his perspective on the team’s success up to that point. 

“Just going out there and playing our basketball,” Green said at halftime. “Playing the way we know we’re capable of. They got a couple of guys out, so we’re focused on ourselves tonight and just playing our brand of basketball.”

Green finished the game with 16 points and connected on four triples in what was a 43-point win for Detroit. 

From a team perspective, the Pacers committed 25 turnovers against Detroit, and that ultimately was the difference in a game that was settled early in the first half. The Pistons’ relentless pressure disrupted the shorthanded Indiana offense, and the visiting team was never able to get into a rhythm in a hostile environment against a division rival. 

The Pistons pride themselves on playing physical defense, and Detroit lived up to their reputation on Saturday night. The Pacers found themselves outmatched at every juncture, and the road unit shot just 35% from the field in what was a mismatch from the opening tip-off. 

The Pistons will have a day off before facing the Boston Celtics in primetime on Peacock on Monday, Jan. 19 at 8 pm. 

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