How the Detroit Pistons earned west coast victory over the Portland Trail Blazers

A late-night matchup ended with a 110-102 road victory for the Detroit Pistons, who have jumped out to a 7-2 start in the month of December.

Cade Cunningham made his mark for Detroit with 14 points as he kept a potential early Trail Blazers comeback at bay with paint punches and three-point makes. Guard Shaedon Sharpe countered with 25 points of his own for the Blazers as he kept Portland on pace with makes from inside the arc.

Dec. 22, 2025; Detroit Pistons v. Portland Trail Blazers. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images — Dec 22, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles the ball during the first half against Portland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray (24) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Detroit's paint presence, which allowed it to earn a league-leading 57.9 paint points per game this season, would be what ultimately carried it to a solid start to its Western Conference road trip. Center Jalen Duren drew first blood with a routine shot inside before commanding the Pistons' offense with close-up blows and free throws.

The All-Star hopeful added on a team-leading 26 points while tacking on 10 rebounds even as the Blazers kept pace with the Pistons on the interior as they traded blow for blow in the paint in the first quarter. Led by a late surge from the paint and the arc, Detroit ran away with the lead from end-to-end of the second quarter as they jumped out to a comfortable 10-point lead.

Former Purdue guard and first-round pick Jaden Ivey would end the night as a leader off the bench with 11 points with an efficient five makes on eight shots after a notable first half for the former All-Big Ten guard.

The Pistons kept the pedal to the metal in the third quarter, where they turned on the jets in what felt like a sudden quarter-mile sprint for the Motor City. Detroit would light up the basket with 15 makes on 29 tries, while the Blazers lagged behind with a 42.1% field goal percentage. Detroit would move up to 6-1 against Western Conference opponents with the road victory while sealing the regular-season series against Oregon's own for the second year in a row.

The Pistons, who entered the matchup atop the Eastern Conference with 22 wins in 28 matchups, tried to keep up their standard of excellence on defense even as the Blazers fought their way back into contention in the fourth quarter.

Detroit held the Charlotte Hornets to a season-low 86 points as Charlotte scored just 14 points and and hit just below 29% of their shots in a massive fourth-quarter surge from the East's top squad.

The Pistons have sported one of the league's best defensive ratings, including the third-ranked rating in the month of December, as they continue to carry the defensive identity that fueled their recent rise to the top. Detroit's paint presence, which has limited its opponents to 44 paint points per game, continued to stop close-up shots as the Pistons outscored the Blazers 66 to 40 in the paint.

Detroit will work through an end-of-the-month road trip that'll take them across the Western Conference before capping things off with two games in Los Angeles. The Lakers, who have jumped out to a 19-8 record behind a pair of key early-season runs, will be Detroit's final matchup of 2025 before it faces the Miami Heat on New Year's Day.

The Pistons started off 2025 on a heater with a red-hot 5-0 start, which included a close win over the Blazers and a statement win over a Western Conference finalist in the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Pistons will travel to Sacramento to face the Kings at 10:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday in the Golden 1 Center. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network.