CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jalen Duren’s message to J.B. Bickerstaff was loud and clear as time wound down Friday.
The All-Star walked from the end of the bench to near midcourt to flag down his coach and remind Bickerstaff that the Detroit Pistons had no interest in exchanging postgame pleasantries with the Charlotte Hornets after their 118-100 blowout win. Duren’s sentiment was understandable, thanks to the still-fresh memories of a February altercation with the Hornets that led to four suspensions and more than $1 million in salary forfeited.
The Pistons dismantled the Hornets in the fourth quarter on Friday, limiting them to their lowest-scoring quarter of the season with 10 points. That final frame demonstrated why first-place Detroit is 16 games ahead of Charlotte in the Eastern Conference standings. The Pistons sprinted out to a 16-2 run as Cade Cunningham looked on from a stationary bike near the team bench, watching his teammates outclass their opponents.
“You’ve got to give credit to them. They did a phenomenal job tonight,” Hornets veteran Grant Williams said during his postgame news conference. “They really just, in words, punked us.”
That’s what Detroit has prided itself on this year. Cunningham said earlier this season this team’s goal was to impose its will on opposing teams, and that’s what they did in Friday’s shellacking. Five Pistons scored in double figures, and the team finished with 62 paint points, 45 bench points, 27 second-chance points, 22 points off of 15 Hornets turnovers and 20 fast-break points.
Once the fourth quarter rolled around, Detroit had its way with Charlotte, highlighting the depth the Pistons will carry into the postseason. And rather than it being some sort of specified message after February’s contentious contest, the Pistons were just playing their brand of basketball.
“That was us at our best,” Bickerstaff said. “That group that started the fourth quarter, I thought, did a great job. (Daniss Jenkins), Ron (Holland II), (Javonte Green), that group was all over the place. They were active. They picked up. They pressed. They set the tone. … (They) made it extremely difficult. And then, I thought we did a great job of finishing possessions.
“That’s Pistons basketball. That’s what we’ve come to expect.”
Duren — who was suspended two games for his involvement in the altercation two months ago — picked the Hornets apart from start to finish. He finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, adding nine rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes despite foul trouble.
“I think it shows how good we can be when we are locked in,” Duren said postgame. “Whenever we are playing as a team and playing connected, especially when we are on the defensive end, I feel like no one can beat us, nobody can score on us. This is just a testament to being locked in and having each other’s back.”
Cunningham tacked on 14 points, seven assists, two offensive rebounds, a steal and a block. After the game — with Duren’s choice of music playing in the background — Cunningham said the Pistons, now one victory away from their 60th win, came into the season wanting to improve on the previous season.
“I went in just trying to be better than last year, not knowing where that would take us or what that would look like — to what extent it would go,” Cunningham said. “I’m pleased with where we’re at; I’m not really satisfied or anything. I think it’s a great year so far. We’re where we want to be, which is the playoffs. So, now the fun and all the real grind starts.”
Cade Cunningham on whether the Pistons’ success this season has exceeded expectations:
“I went in just trying to be better than last year, not knowing where that would take us or what that would look like. … I’m pleased with where we’re at, but I’m not really satisfied.” pic.twitter.com/2Y1m5AZjZU
— Hunter Patterson (@HunterPatterson) April 11, 2026
Detroit (59-22) has won five of its last six games and can now become just the third team in franchise history to win at least 60 games with one more victory Sunday against the Indiana Pacers. The formula, Bickerstaff said, has been routine.
“It’s stops for us, first and foremost, that turn into offense,” he said. “When we’re turning teams over, getting stops and getting long rebounds, we get to get out in transition.
“Transition basketball becomes easy for us. When teams have to chase us and feel like they’re under duress, we’re hard to guard. Our guys are so willing to share the game and so willing to share the basketball that you’ve got to pick a lot of poisons. Where do you stop? Where do you rotate? Then, guys are allowed to play in space to their strength.”
In Friday’s second half, the Pistons limited the Hornets to 15 of 43 from the field, 2 of 19 from 3 and forced 11 turnovers.
Isaiah Stewart is two games into his return from a Grade 1 left calf strain and is expected to be a crucial part of Detroit’s postseason rotation. Though he had a modest 5 points, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal against Charlotte, Stewart was plus-9 in 16 minutes of play. Additionally, Duncan Robinson and Holland will be important playoff performers for the Pistons.
Robinson scored 19 points Friday on 3-of-7 shooting from long range. Holland added 13 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. Stewart spoke to what 60 wins would mean to him, as the longest-tenured Piston in the locker room.
“It would mean a lot because, obviously, that’s something I don’t think any of us have achieved since being a Piston,” Stewart said. “It’s been a while since we’ve done that. It would mean the world.”
The Pistons will end the season on the road against the Pacers on Sunday, with a chance to reach 60 wins and further build on the cohesion they’ve established all season.