It was a party in Detroit tonight as Pistons fans enjoyed a dominant performance from their home team. Coming off a shocking upset loss to the Wizards on Thursday, Detroit responded in the best way possible: with a strong, all-around performance on both ends of the floor.
While these two teams are close in the standings, this game was completely one-sided for the entire night. The Pistons were up by 11 points at the end of the first quarter, and proceeded to win every other quarter to finish with a 118-80 victory. It was a relatively quiet night for Cade Cunningham (11 points, five rebounds, seven assists, zero steals, and zero blocks on 3.4% shooting), but key contributions from others helped make up the difference. Off the bench, Daniss Jenkins was the leading scorer with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, zero steals, and zero blocks on 63.6% shooting and 50.0% shooting from three.
AUSAR THOMPSON BLOCK WITH HIS ELBOW ➡️ DANISS JENKINS FAKE + FINISH ‼️
The Pistons are firing on all cylinders in the first half 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/rTu5Lk2wLg
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) February 7, 2026
For the visitors, Jalen Brunson dropped 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks on 20.0% shooting (0-8 from three). Mikal Bridges added 19 points, one rebound, two assists, zero steals, and zero blocks on 43.8% shooting and 42.9% shooting. Finally, Jordan Clarkson finished with 11 points, four rebounds, five assists, zero steals, and zero blocks on 50.0% shooting (1-1 from three) off the bench.
It was a rough night for the Knicks, who had won their last eight games. They tried to fight, but fell into a hole early without players like OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns. They finished with a season-low 80 points on just 35.4% shooting (8-33 from three). It was just one of those games where nothing was going right, and the Knicks fans almost felt like there was something personal between the teams.
“Twice this year the Pistons have just played like they want to kick our a** every time,” wrote a Knicks fan on X. “They remember. The Knicks need to pick it up and find some rhythm offensively.”
On the other side, this win had Detroit fans feeling great. The team seems more lockedin than ever, and they just destroyed a really good team on national television. Their ambitions go beyond the regular season; they are eyeing the playoffs now.
“Incredible performance,” posted a Pistons fan tonight. “Straight belt to a**. Daniss Jenkins is LEGIT. Detroit’s defense is unbelievable. Best in the East and it ain’t close. We move.”
Arguably, the most impressive part of this performance for the Pistons is that it came without their starting center, Jalen Duren. He missed tonight’s game with a knee injury, but Cade made sure to call him out after the buzzer. He also spoke on the chemistry with his teammates, which he says has been flawless this season.
“Chemistry is huge in this league, guys move around all the time, and it’s hard to find a group that can really connect with each other,” said Cunningham. “Having that trust amongst the guys and that want for everybody to succeed is huge, it adds a lot of confidence to the group. I think everything we’re doing is something we planned on doing, and we still have a lot of room to grow. Last night, for example, was a loss that should have never happened. It’s the NBA, every team is going to come out and play, and there are good players everywhere. So it’s on us to continue to be sharp and practice discipline every night.”
In perhaps their most forgettable game of the season, the Knicks are already working to wipe this from their memory. This was a dark spot in what has been an otherwise successful stretch of the season. The important thing for New York is how they respond to the loss, with several key games coming up on the schedule (including the Celtics on Sunday).
Meanwhile, the Pistons will not have long to stew in their latest show of force. They have a game against the red-hot Charlotte Hornets tomorrow, who are currently riding an eight-game win streak. Still, with a 4.5 game lead for the first seed, Detroit is feeling good about where it stands. Once Duren returns healthy, this team will be ready for a strong finish this season to set up a historic playoff run. Tonight was just a glimpse at what they can do when everything’s clicking.
