Pistons clinch first
The Detroit Pistons became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch an NBA playoff spot this weekend — joining the Thunder and Spurs who have already clinched from the West (cbssports.com) (hoopsrumors.com). The standings keep shifting: Cleveland surged into fourth in the East and the Lakers are on a nine-game tear, tightening seed races across both conferences (ad-hoc-news.de).
Friday’s 115-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Little Caesars Arena featured 23 points from center Jalen Duren and 22 from backup point guard Daniss Jenkins, who started in place of Cade Cunningham. (NBC Sports) (nbcsports.com) Cunningham has been sidelined with a collapsed lung and the Pistons said he could miss “at least two weeks,” yet Detroit is 7-2 this season in games he’s missed and shows a +2.2 net rating with him off the floor. (NBC Sports) (nbcsports.com) Detroit sits atop the East at 51-19 after the clinch, a mark reflected in the league standings, while the NBA lists Oklahoma City and San Antonio as the only other teams that had already clinched their conferences. (ESPN) (espn.com) Cleveland’s surge into fourth comes via a 111-106 win over New Orleans in which Donovan Mitchell scored 27 and James Harden added 20, moving the Cavaliers to 44-27 and tightening the race for top-six seeding in the East. (ESPN) (espn.ph) The league’s postseason timeline now frames Detroit’s margin: the NBA shows the play-in tournament running April 14–17 and the first round beginning April 18, leaving roughly a two-week window for seeding shifts with a dozen regular-season games left for Detroit. (NBA.com) (nba.com) The clinch also marks Detroit’s first back-to-back playoff qualification since 2009, capping a rapid turnaround from a 14-win team two seasons ago to an Eastern frontrunner this year. (Yahoo Sports) (sports.yahoo.com)
