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And Bickerstaff would know a thing or two about what matters. This victory marked his 300th career win as a head coach, a milestone that came at the perfect time for a franchise desperate to build momentum. Defense Wins Games The numbers don’t lie: defense travels, and on Friday night, the Detroit Pistons brought theirs to Texas. With just over 16 seconds remaining and the game hanging in the balance, Paul Reed stepped up and swatted away Alperen Sengun’s would-be game-tying layup. It was the kind of play that doesn’t always show up in the highlight reels but makes all the difference in the win column. Reed’s block was the exclamation point on a defensive effort that had to compensate for some rough breaks. Jalen Duren was ejected, and Isaiah Stewart fouled out—two key rotational pieces gone when the Pistons needed them most. But instead of folding, Detroit dug in. Ausar Thompson, who poured in 19 points, was a force on both ends of the floor. His energy kept the Pistons afloat during stretches when Houston threatened to pull away. Kevin Durant Does Kevin Durant Things Let’s be real: Kevin Durant is still Kevin Durant. The Rockets’ superstar torched Detroit for 37 points, going 16-for-18 from the charity stripe and knocking down all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. He single-handedly kept Houston in the game, including an 8-0 personal run midway through the fourth quarter that tied things up at 101. When Durant hit another three to knot the score at 105 with five minutes left, you could feel the momentum shifting. The crowd was electric, and it looked like Houston was about to take over. But the Detroit Pistons had other plans. The Turning Point Basketball games are won and lost in small moments, and Detroit seized theirs with a 6-0 run that put them ahead 111-105 with three minutes to play. It was a sequence built on hustle, smart rotations, and timely buckets—the kind of winning basketball that can’t be taught but has to be earned. Paul Reed’s layup pushed the lead to 113-110, and even though Alperen Sengun answered with one free throw to cut it to two, the Pistons never let the Rockets get over the hump. Ausar Thompson missed a three-pointer with 35 seconds left, but Reed’s block on Sengun moments later was the dagger. When Cunningham iced the game at the line, it was simply the final signature on a hard-earned road victory. What This Win Means for Detroit It’s easy to overreact to a single game in an 82-game season, but this one felt different. The Detroit Pistons didn’t just beat a scrappy Rockets team—they beat a Western Conference contender in a hostile environment, without two key players down the stretch, and with their franchise player making clutch plays when it mattered most. This is the kind of win that can shift the trajectory of a season. It’s a statement that the Detroit Pistons aren’t here to be overlooked or written off. They’re here to compete. For Bickerstaff, this milestone win is a reminder of why organizations trust him to lead young teams through the grind. For Cunningham, it’s another chapter in his evolution as a leader. And for the rest of the roster, it’s proof that when everyone buys in, this team can go toe-to-toe with anyone. The Detroit Pistons left Houston with their first win of the season, but more importantly, they left with something that can’t be measured in the standings: belief.
