Pistons vs. Sixers final score: Detroit delivers total team effort in win over Philly

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 25: Daniss Jenkins #24 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 25, 2026 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Cade Cunningham was the best player on the floor for the Detroit Pistons in their 106-93 win over the previously unbeaten Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night. He had 26 points and eight assists, both leading the team, and added eight rebounds. No surprise there. But if you were going to ask me who the star of the game was for the Pistons, it would be hard to choose.

It’s a testament to the team’s depth and the roster’s unselfishness that so many people contributed in such critical ways against one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. Detroit’s depth was already set to be tested as starters Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson missed the game with injuries. Sixth man Isaiah Joe left the game tonight after suffering a tailbone contusion four minutes into his first on-court action.

The loss of Detroit’s best interior scorer, best perimeter defender, and second-best 3-point threat, and with all three handling the ball quite a bit for the Pistons, meant everyone else needed to play to the top of their abilities.

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Pistons got it done. So who was the star?

You could say it was Duncan Robinson, who hit five three-pointers, including several when the Sixers were flirting dangerously close to getting fully back into the game. You could argue it was Daniss Jenkins, who never saw a clutch shot he didn’t want to take (and make). He scored 18 points and added eight rebounds and six assists. He hit three of his four three-pointers, including one in the final minutes that put the game out of reach for good.

Looking beyond the box score, you could say it was Ron Holland. He played 23 minutes off the bench and only made two of his nine field goals. But he played absolutely ferocious defense all night. None better than when he was matched up one-on-one against Jaylen Brown, whom he had in absolute jail several times in the critical fourth quarter.

It seemed like it might be a laugher early as the Sixers didn’t seem to have it in them as they were playing their third game in four nights. The Pistons were up 21 early, but the Sixers made a 9-0 run to end the second quarter, and from then on it felt like Detroit was just trying to survive.

They scuffled on offense for long stretches, but they could almost always rely on their defense. Brown was 5-of-20 on the night, and Tyrese Maxey was 11-of-24. It would have been much worse, but he turned it on in the second half, scoring 23 of his 29 points in the second half.

The Sixers were able to cut it to five, but the Pistons somehow always had an answer. I think they might be good.