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The Detroit Pistons will have home court advantage against any playoff opponent they face in the Eastern Conference

When the Pistons clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference as a result of their 116-93 win last night, Detroit put the finishing touches on a regular season campaign that’s gone about as well as they could have possibly hoped for. 

From a 13-game winning streak to start the season off on the right foot to sending multiple players (and their head coach) to the All-Star Game to now clinching the No. 1 position in the East hearing into the postseason, the Detroit Pistons have checked a lot of boxes regarding what a dream regular season could look like. 

But according to third-year forward Ausar Thompson after Saturday night’s win, there’s still another distinction that he’d like to see bestowed upon a member of the Pistons. 

“Can we get Jalen Duren All-NBA? That’s all I’ve got to say,” Thompson said after the game. “He deserves it. I haven’t seen nobody stop him yet.”

Since MVP candidate Cade Cunningham went down with a collapsed lung against the Washington Wizards over two weeks ago, Duren has amplified his game at a crucial time in the season to help the Pistons sustain their top-ranked position. JD, a first-time All-Star, has averaged over 23 points and 11 rebounds since Cunningham’s injury, and he’s currently the favorite to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award in due time. 

So, not only has Detroit been able to keep their spot perched atop the Eastern Conference, the Pistons have put their stamp on a textbook campaign wrought with success thanks in part to JD’s dominant performances as of late. 

“The East runs through Detroit, man,” Duren said. “That’s all that’s got to be said, man. Ain’t too much to be said, man. The East runs through Detroit, bro.”

Against Philadelphia last night, the Pistons relied on their defensive integrity to close out the 76ers on the road. Detroit held Philly to just 13 points in the final quarter to seal their 57th victory of the season with an opportunity to eclipse the 60-win threshold before the postseason begins. 

“Our effort defensively in the second half was phenomenal,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “The physicality picked up, how active we were, deflecting, blocking shots, being physical, being disruptive. I thought it was a great effort and everybody again contributed.”

That’s how the Pistons have been able to stack win on top of win lately, even without their superstar floor general. Bickerstaff has imparted the importance of teamwork and togetherness, and those components were the foundation of Detroit’s journey from the worst team in the NBA two seasons ago to the remarkable success they’re currently experiencing.

“Take a moment, reflect on where we’ve been, reflect on the work that we’ve put in to get here but understanding that this isn’t the finish,” Bickerstaff said. “To grow the way that this group has grown together as quickly as it has, it is special. But we’ve got more food to eat, so we’ll take tonight, enjoy this, then tomorrow we’ll get back to work.”

For the Pistons, that means they’ll have today to rest up before clocking in against the Orlando Magic on the road at 7 pm on Monday, April 6.

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