Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham. Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Can Pistons do the improbable on Western Conference road trip?

By Kenneth Ray Jr. | Last updated Dec 24, 2025 6:14 PM ET

The Detroit Pistons are in the middle of a 10-day, five-game Western Conference road trip, and with hard-fought victories over the Portland Trail Blazers and the Sacramento Kings, it is off to a great start. The three remaining games are against the Utah Jazz (10-19), the Los Angeles Clippers (8-21), and the Los Angeles Lakers (19-9). The Pistons have suffered only one Western Conference loss this season, 116-114 to the Dallas Mavericks in overtime. Three more wins this week would push their overall record to 27-6, and their non-conference record to 10-1. Can they do it?

Western Conference trips have been brutal

In recent years, road trips out west have not gone well for the Pistons. The travel is grueling, the back-to-back games are exhausting, and the teams are tough. Only once in the last five seasons have the Pistons come away with a winning record.

Season	Opponents	W-L	Pct
2024-25	Jazz, Suns, Lakers, Kings, Nuggets	3-2	.600
2023-24	Kings, Blazers, Clippers, Lakers, Suns	2-3	.400
2022-23	Clippers, Lakers, Kings, Nuggets, Jazz	2-3	.400
2021-22	Suns, Warriors, Kings, Jazz, Nuggets	1-4	.200
2020-21	Warriors, Jazz, Suns, Lakers	0-4	.000
	Totals	8-16	.333
Source: Basketball-Reference.com

Since the 2000-01 season, the Pistons have made 36 road trips featuring four or more consecutive games versus Western Conference foes. Their combined record in those games is 58-107 (.352). On eight of those trips, they were winless. The worst year was 2012-13. The Pistons made two such trips that season and finished 0-10. Only once in 25 years have they gone undefeated (4-0 in 2006-07), which is why posting a 5-0 record this season would be such a big deal.

The Pistons will be tested

The Pistons next face the Jazz on Friday, followed by the Clippers on Sunday and finish the trip with the Lakers on Tuesday, Dec. 30. Of the five teams on the current road trip schedule, the Lakers pose the biggest challenge. They are the only team on the current trip with a winning record and are 7-4 (.636) at Crypto.com Arena. If the Pistons can knock off the Jazz and the Clippers, the finale versus the Lakers becomes a more compelling matchup.

Despite two early victories, it will be tough for the Pistons to go 5-0 on this trip. Their opponents will be motivated, and their depth and resolve will be tested. But these Pistons have exceeded expectations all season. The next few days will determine if they can do it again.

Kenneth Ray Jr.

Kenneth Ray, Jr., is a Kansas City native and a longtime fan of the Chiefs and Royals. A former college basketball player, he has a deep appreciation for the talent and athleticism of professional athletes and an enduring love for sports history. As a writer, he creates engaging narratives that are precise, informative, and insightful.

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