The Detroit Pistons were without Cade Cunningham for a second night in a row. They also were without Isaiah Stewart (illness). Ultimately, it was too much to overcome against Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
The Pistons fell to the Los Angeles Clippers at home, 98-92 on Saturday, Jan. 10. They fizzled late despite leading by 19 in the first half. They were outscored 30-16 in the fourth quarter, and a pair of free throws from John Collins (who finished with 25 points) with two minutes left to play to give the Clippers their first lead, 93-92, since opening the game 1-0. A putback dunk by Ivica Zubac extended it to three with 1:23 on the clock.
Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) bumps into LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.
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With the game on the line, the Pistons committed turnovers at the 1:01 mark and with 27 seconds to play. James Harden (19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) split a trip at the line to make it a two-possession game, and a pair of missed free throws by Paul Reed with 17.4 seconds remaining sealed the Pistons’ fate.
Cunningham joined Tobias Harris (left hip sprain) and Jalen Duren (right ankle sprain) in street clothes on the bench. They were led by Duncan Robinson (20 points) and Ron Holland (16 points). Two-way center Tolu Smith added nine points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.
Pistons playoff position
The loss dropped the Pistons to 28-10, the franchise’s best start since also winning 28 of 38 games in the 2007-08 season (en route to the team’s most recent Eastern Conference finals appearance). The Pistons still have a 3½-game lead on the New York Knicks for the top spot in the East, and a seven-game lead on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division.
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Duncan Robinson’s big night
LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) defends against Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson (55) during the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.
The Pistons led by double digits for most of the first half after opening the game with a 20-5 run, fueled by hot shooting from Robinson and turnovers by the Clippers. Robinson scored 13 of the Pistons’ first 19 points on 5-for-5 shooting, capped with his third 3-pointer at the 6:48 mark of the opening quarter.
But they gave up a 10-0 Clippers run to open the second half, cutting their lead to four, 55-51. A layup from Leonard slashed it to two before Javonte Green splashed a 3-pointer to slow their momentum. A 12-0 Clippers run in the fourth quarter cut it to two once again, 84-82, with 7:21 remaining. The Pistons shot just 8-for-25 (22.9%) from 3.
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Tolu Smith seizes on first opportunity
It was only Smith’s fifth appearance this season, and first time playing substantial minutes outside of garbage time. He looked like a seasoned pro stepping in for Stewart, stuffing the stat sheet in just 26 minutes of action.
Smith has shined with the Motor City Cruise, averaging 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds through 11 games. He also impressed in Las Vegas Summer League alongside Daniss Jenkins, which gave the coaching staff confidence to rely on him for extended minutes on a night their two top bigs were out.
Defense helps Pistons overcome injuries
In the first half, the Pistons held the Clippers to 37.8% shooting and forced 13 turnovers, off which they scored 18 points. It allowed them to lead by as many as 19 and enter halftime with a 55-41 advantage despite shooting just 7-for-22 from 3 (31.8%), with Robinson doing the heavy lifting by knocking down five of his six attempts.
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Ausar Thompson did a strong defensive job on Harden, who had just five points on 1-for-10 shooting in the first half. And they effectively iced Leonard out of the offense after the superstar forward lit them up for a career-high 55 points in Los Angeles a few weeks ago, holding him to 10 points on just four shot attempts.
Robinson led the Pistons with 20 points and was the only player on the team in double figures by that point, but they generated offense with their defense. As a team, they tallied 11 steals and six blocks by the midway point, which helped them build an 11-2 lead in fastbreak points.
For the game, the Pistons tallied 18 steals and 13 blocks. Smith had four blocks, Green and Thompson had three blocks each, and Reed had two. Reed also had five steals, and Green added four.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on XÂ @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons come up short late in 98-92 loss to LA Clippers