Detroit Pistons making their presence felt in latest NBA power rankings

The Detroit Pistons are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning each of their last nine games en route to an 11-2 start.

The team's long winning streak has propelled them to move up to No. 5 in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's latest power rankings. The team was slotted at No. 8 in the previous edition, resulting in a three-spot jump.

"The Pistons have been shorthanded, missing at least five rotation players in each of their last three games (including Cade Cunningham for the last two games). But they’ve run their winning streak to nine games with impressive wins over the Bulls and Sixers," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Pistons are five games into a stretch of 14 straight within the Eastern Conference, and this week will bring their first meetings with the Pacers, Hawks and Bucks. They will be at a rest disadvantage in Atlanta on Tuesday, but will then have three days off before visiting the Bucks, to whom they’ve lost 13 straight."

Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson dribbles in the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Pistons rising in NBA power rankings

The only teams ranked ahead of the Pistons are the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

During this win streak, the Pistons are proving that they are not a team that quits in the middle of games. They have found themselves trailing in a few matchups and have found ways to come back to pull out a win.

"With their comebacks against the Wizards and Sixers last week, the Pistons are now 7-2 in games they trailed by double-digits, having been 10.9 points per 100 possessions better after halftime (plus-11.6) than they’ve been in first halves (plus-0.7). They had just eight wins (they were 8-33) after trailing by double-digits last season," Schuhmann wrote.

The Pistons are also doing it with a lot of injuries on the roster, relying on their bench to get the job done. Luckily, the deep Pistons are contributing when it matters most, especially Paul Reed.

"He had 28 points on 11-for-13 shooting in the win over Chicago, totaled six steals and four blocks over his two starts last week, and has averaged 8.2 deflections per 36 minutes, most among 302 players who’ve played at least 100 total minutes this season," Schuhmann wrote of Reed.

The Pistons will put their win streak on the line this week when they take on the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.