February 1, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart (28) dunks in the second half of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Image It seems inevitable that the Eastern Conference leader Detroit Pistons and fourth-place Cleveland Cavaliers will meet in the second round of the playoffs.
But if it does happen, that series won’t happen until late April.
What is certain, though, is that the Central Division rivals play their fourth and final regular season game in Cleveland on Tuesday. And the Pistons will get bruising big man Isaiah Stewart back after a seven-game NBA suspension.
“We’re in the top four and that’s where we want to be,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “What, there are 20 games left? Now it’s become a reality.”
Detroit is 8-1 since February 6, including two wins over the New York Knicks and one win each against Cleveland and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pistons also beat the Thunder to take the league’s best record.
“We’re playing a high level of defense that a lot of people aren’t willing to play,” Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff said. “Our people continue to do the right thing.”
The Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 106-92 on Sunday, outscoring them by 21 points in the second half. All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham added 29 points and 11 assists, while small forward Ausar Thompson had nine points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Thompson received recognition from teammates Tobias Harris and Caris LeVert for leading a defensive surge that held Orlando to 35 points after the break.
“At halftime, coach challenged us to do better and we accepted that challenge,” LeVert said. “Ausar really led the effort on the floor and the rest of us followed suit.”
Detroit has won two of its first three games against Cleveland, including a 122-119 overtime decision at home on Friday. The Cavaliers were without All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell and backcourt mate James Harden for the contest.
Mitchell was sidelined with a right groin injury, but Harden returned from a fractured right thumb with 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a 106-102 win at the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
Cleveland desperately needed to secure a win after losing 118-116 at the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday after Jarrett Allen’s tip-in was ruled after the buzzer. They then squandered a nine-point lead in the final 2 minutes, 44 seconds of regulation in Detroit.
The latter remains a sore spot for the Cavaliers, whose locker room was unusually subjugated following a loss in late February. They dropped three of their last five games on the heels of a season-high seven-game winning streak.
“That was the game we had to play,” lamented Cleveland small forward Jaylon Tyson. “We were right there. We should have won that game.”
Cunningham and Harden promise to be compelling one-on-one matchups, but the focus of fans and scouts will be in the paint. All-Star center Jalen Duren and backup Stewart will be paired with Allen and Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley.
Duren had 33 points and 16 rebounds in Friday’s meeting. He also forced Allen to foul out, which ended a night in which he scored 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Allen has averaged 22.1 points and 11.1 rebounds over his last 12 starts.
“When Jarrett plays at this level, it raises our ceiling,” Atkinson said. “And what I like the most is that Evan hasn’t taken a step back since coming back (from a left calf injury). And I love that.”
–Field level media
