Top Takeaways From the Detroit Pistons' Loss to San Antonio Spurs

The Detroit Pistons continued a slow start to their march through March with a 121-106 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. Spurs big Victor Wembanyama
led San Antonio with 38 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks as he looked like a superstar from start to finish.

Despite an undulating night from the floor, guard Cade Cunningham still finished with a team-leading 26 points and eight assists.

Mar 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) guards Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Up-and-Down Bench Night

Isaiah Stewart highlighted an up-and-down night for the Pistons' bench, which outscored San Antonio's by a 32-point difference in the Thursday loss. The sixth-year Piston logged a bench-leading 18 points as he knocked down a handful of 3-pointers to pair with seven made free throws. Kevin Huerter had his moments in the second half with three makes on four tries, which included a quick 3-point strike off a pass from Stewart.

The duo of Caris LeVert and Daniss Jenkins still left some things to be desired as they didn't hit a single one of their combined 11 shots from the floor. While Javonte Green would log 10 points and three rebounds, he would still complete just a pair of his seven shots as he missed five attempts after making his first two.

Live by the Paint, Die by the Paint

The Pistons proved to be a paint powerhouse this season after they outpaced their opponents by an average of 28 paint points per game in their last three wins, including in their monstrous 66-32 advantage in their most recent victory over the Orlando Magic. Detroit still sports one of the league's best paint offenses, which ranks just behind the New Orleans Pelicans for second place in the NBA.

None of that seemed to matter against the Spurs' lengthy anchors on Thursday.

As much as they tried to muscle their way to close-range looks, the tables turned on the East's top squad as the Spurs dropped 52 points in the paint to Detroit's 36, a regular-season low for one of the league's strongest paint teams.

It would be the first time the Pistons were outscored in the paint in the regular season since a January matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans, where the Pistons prevailed as two of the league's top current paint offenses clashed in the Smoothie King Center. Detroit will need to find its strength again when it faces the Brooklyn Nets, who they last steamrolled from close range in a February victory.

The Pistons will move on to face the Nets at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday in Little Caesars Arena. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network - Detroit.