Pistons' blowout win shows they have made incredible progress

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) celebrates a basket with guard Dennis Schroder (17) against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Pistons show they have made incredible progress with blowout win vs. Pelicans

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Mar 17, 2025 11:35 PM ET

It wasn’t that long ago that the Pistons were the ones getting blown out.

Oh, how things have changed.

On Monday, the Pistons (38-31, sixth in Eastern Conference) throttled the Pelicans (18-51, 14th in Western Conference) on the road, 127-81.

It was Detroit's second win by at least 40 points this season, the most in a single season in franchise history. It previously defeated the Bulls, 132-92, on Feb. 11. (h/t Stathead)

The 46-point margin of victory is tied for Detroit's second-largest ever, only trailing a 52-point win over the Celtics — 118-66 — in 2003.

In New Orleans, point guard Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Backup small forward Simone Fontecchio chipped in with 23 points, making all five of his three-point attempts. Detroit's bench outscored New Orleans' bench 68-27.

It was an all-around team effort. Perhaps no play better illustrated how effortless the win was than forward Ausar Thompson's no-look pass in transition to Cunningham, which gave the Pistons an early 21-10 advantage.

AUSAR WITH THE NASTY NO-LOOK PASS pic.twitter.com/BeqGUeKyMI
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) March 18, 2025

Detroit appears to be headed for its first playoff appearance since 2019. The Pistons are only two games behind the Bucks (38-29, fourth in Eastern Conference) in the loss column for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

From the 2020-21 through 2023-24 seasons, the Pistons had the NBA's worst record, going 74-244.

From 2022-23 through 2023-24, Detroit sustained 33 losses by at least 20 points, one fewer than the Spurs for the most in the NBA during that span.

The Pistons have taken their fair share of licks in recent seasons, but this year, they're handing out the punishment. Detroit's been one of the league's best stories in 2024-25, and on Monday, it reminded the NBA how far it's come.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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