DETROIT — On the night where the Detroit Pistons secured a second 2026 All-Star, it was their top duo of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren leading their dominance against the Brooklyn Nets.
The Pistons got out to a big lead in the second quarter, relying on their elite defense and paint play, before skyrocketing in front in the third quarter and cruising to a 130-77 victory Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena.
It was the largest margin of victory in franchise history, topping a 52-point win over the Boston Celtics in 2003.
Taking advantage of the Nets being without star forward Michael Porter Jr. due to personal reasons, the Pistons also registered the third-largest point differential of the NBA season.
Duren led the way with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two steals, while Cunningham had 18 points, 12 assists, four steals and three blocks. Neither played in the fourth quarter.
Offense in the first half was run through Cunningham as he led all players with 13 points on 56% shooting at the break. But his shot making was just part of what drove the Pistons (36-12).
He had four steals in the second quarter, directly lead to six points and provided assists on 10 of the 19 baskets he didn’t make in the half.
The Nets (13-35) kept the matchup close early with Nic Claxton going off for 10 first-quarter points, but they were held below 40% shooting in the second quarter to allow Detroit to build a substantial lead.
Most of Brooklyn’s second-quarter offense came in the first two minutes going on an 8-0 run. Javonte Green stopped their momentum with a three-pointer and the Pistons took off.
Detroit would finish the half on a 24-6 run that saw Tobias Harris rack up 11 points in the half and Cunningham secure a first-half double-double.
After shooting 55% from the field in the first half and Ausar Thompson bank a buzzer-beating half court heave, the Pistons found themselves leading 67-44 and coasting.
The slaughter continued in the second half as the Pistons held Brooklyn scoreless for almost five minutes, building out a 36-point lead as Duren scored 12 points in the quarter.
Even as the Nets started to generate some offense, the Pistons continued making plays, with Duren lifting a full-court dime to Cunningham underneath the basket for a lay-in.
By the time Cunningham and Duren checked out late in the quarter, the Pistons had pulled ahead by 40 points and started rotating players from deeper on the bench.
Daniss Jenkins — who had a buzzer-beating drive to end the first quarter — came up with late offense for the Pistons and finished with 18 points. This was the fifth time in the past eight games Jenkins has scored in double digits as the two-way guard continues cementing his spot in the rotation.
The Pistons didn’t let up late as Marcus Sasser and Jaden Ivey combined for 16 points in the fourth quarter, each hitting on a pair of threes to drive Detroit to the most lopsided win in franchise history.
[**BOX SCORE**](https://go.skimresources.com?id=126006X1587345&xs=1&xcust=jacob-richman%7C&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nba.com%2Fgame%2Fbkn-vs-det-0022500704%2Fbox-score%23box-score&product_category=Sporting+Goods%3EAthletics%3EBasketball)
**Up next:** The Pistons continue a packed week hosting the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Nikola Jokic should be back after missing the previous matchup on Jan. 27.