DETROIT – The Detroit Pistons have established their superiority in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference. They will now get a chance to measure up against the top teams in the West.

Detroit open a three-game homestand against the San Antonio Spurs on Feb 23 (Feb 24 morning, Singapore time) and Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb 25. The Spurs own the second-best record in the West behind the defending NBA champions Oklahoma City.

The Pistons have pulled away from the pack in their conference. They have won five straight and eight of their last nine games. They returned from the All-Star break with an emphatic 15-point road victory over the New York Knicks on Feb 19. They followed that up with a 126-110 win at the Chicago Bulls on Feb 21.

Starting centre and All-Star Jalen Duren returned from a two-game league suspension and dominated inside with 26 points and 13 rebounds, both team highs.

“He’s a force. Any time you add an All-Star back to your rotation, he’s just been a dominant force at both ends of the floor,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.

“He had six offensive rebounds. You could feel the pressure he brings, the gravity he brings, how many bodies they have to bring to him. He’s just a dominant force on both ends of the floor and it’s great to have him back.”

The Pistons were up by just three points at half-time but pulled away with a 44-point third quarter.

“I thought we had some really good defensive stretches. In the first half, we had some where we were not totally locked in,” guard Duncan Robinson said.

“(The message at half) was us trying to play to our standards, understanding how the first half went down, and what we are capable of. We had a few stretches in the first half, but we were more consistent in the second half.”

The Spurs carry an eight-game winning streak into Detroit. They notched a 27-point win over the Phoenix Suns on their return from the break, then popped the Sacramento Kings 139-122 on Feb 21.

San Antonio now begin a five-game road trip, including four games against teams among the top six in the East.

“It is a tough stretch. Looking forward to some really competitive games and teams that are going to challenge us in (different) ways,” coach Mitch Johnson said.

“But at this stage, we’re going to keep our head down and keep working. Taking it day by day and just try to be more consistent. I think we know where to put our energy.”

San Antonio have risen near the top of the West after six straight losing seasons. The Pistons also floundered for many years, including a franchise-worst 14-68 record in 2023-24.

They turned things around last season, reaching the play-offs, and have continued to build on that momentum.

“J.B.’s done a heck of a job. He’s really imposed his personality on the team,” Johnson said. “He’s done a great job of identifying guys who fit that toughness and competitiveness that they play with.

“The thing we both have done, I don’t know if it’s similar, but you can’t always get rich quick and skip steps. I think we have both, in our own ways, tried to grow within and continue to just improve incrementally.”

Meanwhile, in NBA action on Feb 22, Jaylen Brown scored 32 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, Payton Pritchard added 30 points with eight assists and the visiting Boston Celtics continued their February surge with a 111-89 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka Doncic scored 25 points and LeBron James added 20 for the Lakers, who lost for the third time in their past five games. Austin Reaves had 15 points as the Los Angeles star trio fell to 8-4 when all three were on the court this season.

James, the NBA’s all-time points leader, moved past the 43,000-point mark in his record 23rd season.

Also on Feb 22, the Lakers honoured legendary coach Pat Riley, mastermind of the team’s 1980s “Showtime” era, with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena.

Riley, a Hall of Fame coach now serving as the Miami Heat’s team president, coached the Lakers from 1981 to 1990, taking them to the NBA Finals seven times and winning NBA titles in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988.

In another key game on Feb 22, the Thunder drilled 21 three-pointers in a 121-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end. REUTERS, AFP