Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons make progress in NBA Power Rankings

The Detroit Pistons are the second team to reach the 20-win mark for the season after their recent streak of victories.

The Pistons have won four games in a row, including last night's victory against the Boston Celtics. With their recent success, the Pistons moved up one spot to No. 4 in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings.

"The Pistons are the second team with 20 wins and have a two-game lead at the top of the Eastern Conference after blowing out the Hawks on Friday," Schuhmann wrote.

The Detroit Pistons logo is seen during the second quarter of the game between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Pistons power up in rankings

The only teams that rank ahead of the Pistons are the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Oklahoma City Thunder. There is an argument to be made that the Pistons deserve to be higher than the Rockets and Nuggets, but they'll gladly accept their number four slot in the power rankings.

Cade Cunningham is continuing to heat up, which is helping the Pistons become one of the elite teams in the league.

The Pistons have a simple but strong recipe for success. They need to have a top-10 offense and a top-10 defense, both of which they have. The defense is slightly higher than the offense at No. 3 vs. No. 9, but that is also a strong indicator of the team's success to start the season.

The Pistons are going to have a chance to increase their lead in the Eastern Conference standings over the next week or so because they are going to be playing six consecutive games against teams with losing records at the moment.

The Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, and Los Angeles Clippers appear on the docket next for the Pistons. If they win all of those games, they will have another double-digit win streak going into the final game of the calendar year against LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

This could really slingshot the Pistons into a clear and comfortable lead for number one in the Eastern Conference, with the New York Knicks being the only true contender behind them.

The Pistons are getting ready to face off against No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and the surging Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off is scheduled for Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.