After a three-game Western Conference swing which featured two wins in three games, the Detroit Pistons kept the momentum going with a historically dominant win at home.
They blew out the Brooklyn Nets, 130-77, at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, Feb. 1. Not only was it the Pistons' largest win of the season (and the 77 points scored by the Nets marked the fewest by any Pistons opponent this season), the 53-point margin of victory was the largest in franchise history, edging a 52-pointer on Jan. 31, 2003, against the Celtics in Boston. The franchise’s previous biggest win at home, meanwhile, was a 46-point rout of the Indiana Pacers on April 2, 1987, at the Pontiac Silverdome. .
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Pistons held Brooklyn to just 32.9% shooting while making 56.5% of their own looks. Jalen Duren, announced as an NBA All-Star Game reserve for the first time in his career during the first quarter, led the Pistons with 21 points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes. Cade Cunningham also had a double-double, with 18 points, 12 assists, four steals and three blocks over 26 minutes.
Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) goes to the basket against Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf (2) during the first half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday, February 1, 2026.TWO-WAY NO MORE?: Daniss Jenkins a few days away from dream promotion with Pistons
Detroit Pistons playoff picture
The win let the Pistons (36-12) keep pace with the Boston Celtics, who won earlier Sunday, for a 5½-game lead in the Eastern Conference (and six games over the New York Knicks, who faced the LA Lakers in a game that ended later on Sunday). The Pistons also lead the Cleveland Cavaliers by eight games in the Central Division. Next up, it’s a rematch with Western Conference contender Denver, as the Nuggets – who lost at home to the Pistons last week – visit LCA on Tuesday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit)
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementShort-lived challenge
Sunday's match was a close game briefly, when Nets guard Cam Thomas opened the second quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, capping an 8-0 run and cutting the Pistons’ lead to one, 33-32. But the Pistons dominated from there, outscoring the Nets 63-19 through the 2:48 mark of the third quarter to build a 45-point lead, 96-51.
They held Brooklyn scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half, opening the period with a 13-0 run before Nolan Traore finally got the Nets on the board with a 3-pointer with 7:14 on the clock. It was a dominant defensive period as the the Nets hit just three of 15 shots (20%) and the Pistons scored 12 points off eight Nets turnovers.
The Pistons built a 50-point lead, 116-66, with a hook from Paul Reed with under six minutes remaining.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) makes a lay up against Brooklyn Nets during the first half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday, February 1, 2026.Duren delivers All-Star performance after making big game
News that Duren would be headed to Inglewood, California, in two weeks as an All-Star reserve was announced on NBC about 18 minutes after the Pistons’ 6 p.m. tip-off. But Duren — and the rest of LCA — found out midway through the first quarter when his selection was announced on the video board to an ovation.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDuren was a one-man wrecking crew and put his stamp on the game after halftime, scoring 10 points with a pair of steals and an assist during the 13-0 Pistons run to open the third. The Nets had no answer for the Cunningham-Duren two-man game — the duo assisted each other for the first two scores of the quarter, with Duren creating space after an entry pass from his teammate for a layup before ripping the ball from the Nets and finding Cunningham in transition.
Duren proceeded to finish an alley-oop pass from Tobias Harris after stealing it from Michigan alumnus Danny Wolf, then finishing another lob from Duncan Robinson to extend the lead to 36, 80-44, at the 7:57 mark. He led the Pistons with 12 points in the third, during which they outscored the Nets, 33-18.
Ausar Thompson continues steals streak
The Pistons' 17 steals fell one short of their season high. Thompson’s second steal of the night produced the biggest highlight play, leading directly to a first-half buzzer-beating 3-pointer banked in from halfcourt.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThompson is one of the league’s top defenders and among its leaders in steals as well. But even by his standards, he has been tormenting opposing teams with his ability to create turnovers. Sunday was his third game in four with at least three steals, after tallying six against the Golden State Warriors on Friday and five against the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 27.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons make franchise history with 53-point win
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