Pistons are over .500 in January for first time since 2018: ‘We’re still hungry’

NEW YORK — Brooklyn. January 2018. That was the last time. Cade Cunningham was a junior at Montverde (Fla.) Academy. Malik Beasley was in his second season with the Denver Nuggets. Tim Hardaway Jr. was on his second stint with the New York Knicks. Tobias Harris was with the Detroit Pistons but was traded to the LA Clippers shortly after. And Jalen Duren was a freshman at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia. Cunningham, Beasley, Hardaway, Harris and Duren were the Pistons’ starters Wednesday when they went above .500 in January for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Detroit defeated the Brooklyn Nets 113-98 at Barclays Center, improving to 19-18 and trending upward. The starters built a 21-point lead entering the fourth quarter, and Beasley was the only one to log minutes during the final frame. While Detroit is playing its best basketball in seven years, both its coach and franchise player are forbidding complacency. Just having a winning record isn’t good enough. The return of the belief that the Pistons can win each time they step on the hardwood is all for nothing if they sputter down the stretch. “It feels good,” Cunningham told The Athletic. “We’re still hungry though, man. We’re not satisfied. It is a satisfying feeling, but we’re not satisfied at all.” Just two nights prior, after Detroit reached .500 for the first time since October 2023 by beating Portland, Cunningham’s coach had a similar assessment when asked if he would enjoy the milestone. “Never. That’s not what we do,” J.B. Bickerstaff said Monday. “I appreciate the work that the guys have put in, I appreciate the improvement, I appreciate each of them individually. I’m proud of what they are becoming, but we’ve got more work to do. These seasons are long, so every single day is a consistent day for us and we’ll take the same approach. “We’ll watch the film, we’ll break it down and we’ll try to get better.” Bickerstaff has Detroit undefeated in 2025 at 5-0, and the Pistons have won 10 of their last 13 since Dec. 7. Over that 13-game stretch, the Pistons are averaging 115.5 points on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and 37.1 percent from the 3-point line. Their 26.7 assists per game ranks 12th in the NBA over the last 13 games. Their 14.5 turnovers per game are tied for 12th in that span. But Cunningham also is pleased with his team’s defense in this stretch, specifically from two of Detroit’s big men. “(Isaiah Stewart) and (Duren) have been high level for us,” Cunningham said. “Ausar (Thompson), obviously, we missed him tonight, but he’s been great for us. I think everybody is just trying to step up on that end and take the challenge to guard. We have a good system that I think allows us all to play to our strengths.” Thompson was sidelined for the second consecutive game by an illness, but Bickerstaff said, “His spirits are good and he said he’s feeling a little bit better.” The second-year wing had a career-high six steals in just 26 minutes during a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves last Saturday. As for Duren and Stewart, the two combined for a defensive rating of 101.2 in Wednesday’s win. The Pistons held the Nets to 49 second-half points on 36.8 percent shooting from both the field and 3-point line. Detroit limited Brooklyn to 11 assists in the second half and forced seven turnovers. The Pistons also dominated the Nets in bench scoring (50-22), points in the paint (54-36) and transition (36-15). Simone Fontecchio led all bench scorers with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and five rebounds. He also has a new celebration after scoring and his teammates love it. Marcus Sasser scored a game-high nine points in transition, hit a season-high five 3s and finished with 15 points. Cunningham led the game in paint points, scoring 12 of his 13 from the area. The Pistons are now No. 8 in the Eastern Conference, just 2.5 games behind the Orlando Magic for the No. 4 spot, heading into Thursday’s home game against the Golden State Warriors (18-18). And for the Pistons, their coach’s mentality on sustaining this success is simple. “We’re still taking steps,” Bickerstaff said. “We’ve had a run of success, which has been awesome. Our guys have improved, the team has improved, but we’re not finished yet.” Sign up to get The Bounce, the essential NBA newsletter from Zach Harper and The Athletic staff, delivered free to your inbox.