The Detroit Pistons have wasted no time turning heads to open the 2026-2027 season. Three games in, they’ve already knocked off three Eastern Conference heavyweights, and the latest statement came in a 106-93 road win over the red-hot Philadelphia 76ers.
That stretch began with a 121-113 win over the Boston Celtics, followed by a 128-111 victory over the Miami Heat. The second of those wins came with a cost, though, as Jalen Duren went down with a hamstring injury that will keep him out for two weeks.
Even with that setback, Detroit has kept rolling behind efficient shooting and a second wave that keeps making plays. The Pistons are hitting 47% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc.
Duncan Robinson has been a big part of that, averaging 19.7 points while shooting 53.6% from three-point range. He has knocked down five threes in every game for Detroit, making him a constant problem from deep.
The bench has also been a strength early on. Daniss Jenkins and Javonte Green have both given the Pistons quality minutes, while Paul Reed has moved into the starting group with Duren sidelined. Reed already showed what he can provide off the bench in the opener against Boston, when he gave Detroit a lift in that comeback win.
Green set the tone in that first game, scoring 19 points and helping spark a 20-point rally. Jenkins made his own impact against Philadelphia, putting up 18 points while shooting 55% from the field and 75% from three.
None of it, though, changes how much of this team still runs through Cade Cunningham. Through the early part of the season, he leads Detroit in four of the five main stat categories, averaging 21 points, 8 assists, 1.3 steals and 2 blocks per game. He looked every bit the star against the 76ers, finishing with 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while making the right call possession after possession about whether to attack or create for teammates.
That same balance will be tested tonight at Madison Square Garden. Against the Knicks, Cunningham will need to handle the playmaking load and the scoring burden, all while dealing with Jalen Brunson on the other side and OG Anunoby’s physical defense.
For Detroit, the bigger picture is straightforward: keep bringing the defensive edge that has defined this run. The Pistons have leaned into that physical identity all season, and it’s a big reason they’ve been able to beat teams that were supposed to be ahead of them.
They get another chance to prove it tonight at 8:00 p.m. on Peacock against the Knicks in New York.
In Other News...
Pistons Suddenly Have A Center Depth Issue They Cant Ignore
The Pistons frontcourt questions got a little louder in a recent matchup with the Knicks, when Jalen Duren was out with a hamstring injury and Detroit had to lean more heavily on its backup options. With Duren unavailable, the spotlight shifted to Tolu Smith, who was asked to absorb a bigger role than usual and showed just how thin the margin can be behind the teams top center.
Smiths limited minutes were marred by fouls and turnovers, the kind of shaky stretch that makes depth chart decisions suddenly feel urgent. If Durens absence lingers at all, Detroit may need to take a hard look at its third-big man spot, because the current alternatives do not give the Pistons much comfort when the center rotation gets squeezed. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons First Loss Exposed An Offensive Problem Fans Know Too Well
The first loss of the season offered a pretty familiar reminder for Detroit: when the pace slows and the game turns into a grind, the offense still has to find answers. Against the Knicks, the Pistons were held to 97 points, and the issues showed up in the places that tend to matter most in tight games. The 3-point shooting never really caught up, the free throws did not provide much relief, and the half-court attack lost its flow after a solid opening quarter.
Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson ran into a defense that was clearly prepared to make every possession uncomfortable, while Detroit also had to navigate the night without two key players. For a team trying to build on an early surge, the loss was less about one bad shooting night than a broader reminder that the offense still has to prove it can create clean looks when the easy ones disappear. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Drew An Unexpected Message During Knicks Matchup
The Pistons had a little extra noise around them during their Oct. 27 matchup with the Knicks, as WWE Superstar Danhausen took to social media to show support for both sides. It was the kind of unexpected crossover moment that tends to pop up around New York sports, especially when the Knicks are on a stage early in the season and the attention spreads beyond the court.
New York wound up winning by 14 points to pick up its first victory of the 2026-27 season, leaving Detroit to sort through another night without much to show for it. Danhausens presence is a reminder of how the Knicks playoff run continues to linger in odd places, even if the connection didnt come with a ring the first time around. [Read more 🡒]