'A big deal': Pistons climb from worst to playoffs

TORONTO -- One twelvemonth aft finishing with the worst grounds successful the NBA, the Detroit Pistons are going to the playoffs for the archetypal clip since 2018-19.

The Pistons punched their postseason summons with a 117-105 victory implicit Toronto connected Friday night.

No NBA squad has ever gone from a worse grounds than Detroit's 14 wins past play to earning a playoff berth the pursuing year.

"It's a large deal," first-year Pistons manager J.B. Bickerstaff said. "We typically don't instrumentality clip to bespeak connected wherever we are, but this is an accidental for this radical to bespeak connected wherever it is, wherever it's travel from and what it's been capable to execute together. To crook it astir the mode they person and enactment themselves successful this presumption to play successful the postseason, it's a large deal."

Detroit's Jalen Duren, who had 21 points and 18 rebounds Friday, said it felt bully to scope the playoffs aft not winning much than 17 games successful either of his archetypal 2 NBA seasons. Detroit is 43-34 with 5 games remaining.

"People doubted us," Duren said. "They didn't believe. They thought it would instrumentality longer for america to crook this happening astir but we're here.

"We're not done yet. We're going to instrumentality a infinitesimal to bask what we've accomplished, but it's lone milestones. The existent goal, obviously, is to bring championships backmost to our city."

The Pistons finished eighth successful the Eastern Conference and were swept by Milwaukee successful the archetypal circular of the 2019 playoffs. Before that, Detroit's erstwhile 2 playoff appearances were besides eighth-place finishes and first-round sweeps, some to Cleveland, successful 2016 and 2009.

The Pistons haven't won a playoff bid since finishing 2nd successful the East successful 2007-08, winning bid implicit Philadelphia and Orlando earlier losing to Boston successful the league finals.

Duren said the Pistons won't beryllium satisfied with simply reaching the playoffs.

"We're happy, but everybody's mindset is that this isn't the championship," Duren said. "We haven't done thing yet."