(Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

The Detroit Pistons have established their superiority in the Eastern Conference. They'll now get a chance to measure up against the top teams in the West.

Detroit opens a three-game homestand against San Antonio on Monday and Oklahoma City on Wednesday. The Spurs own the second-best record in the West behind the defending NBA champion Thunder.

The Pistons have pulled away from the pack in their conference. They've won five straight and eight of their last nine games. They returned from the All-Star break with an emphatic 15-point road victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday. They followed that up with a 126-110 win at Chicago on Saturday.

Starting center and All-Star Jalen Duren returned from a two-game league suspension and dominated inside with 26 points and 13 rebounds, both team highs.

'He's a force. Any time you add an All-Star back to your rotation, he's just been a dominant force at both ends of the floor,' coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. 'He had six offensive rebounds. You could feel the pressure he brings, the gravity he brings, how many bodies they have to bring to him. He's just a dominant force on both ends of the floor and it's great to have him back.'

The Pistons were up by just three points at halftime but pulled away with a 44-point third quarter.

'I thought we had some really good defensive stretches. In the first half, we had some where we were not totally locked in,' guard Duncan Robinson said. '(The message at half) was us trying to play to our standards, understanding how the first half went down, and what we are capable of. We had a few stretches in the first half, but we were more consistent in the second half.'

The Spurs carry an eight-game winning streak into Detroit. They notched a 27-point win over Phoenix in their return from the break, then popped Sacramento 139-122 on Saturday.

San Antonio now begins a five-game road trip, including four games against teams among the top six in the East.

'It is a tough stretch. Looking forward to some really competitive games and teams that are going to challenge us in (different) ways,' coach Mitch Johnson said. 'But at this stage, we're going to keep our head down and keep working. Taking it day by day and just try to be more consistent. I think we know where to put our energy.'

San Antonio has risen near the top of the West after six straight losing seasons. The Pistons also floundered for many years, including a franchise-worst 14-68 record in 2023-24. They turned things around last season, reaching the playoffs, and have continued to build on that momentum.

'J.B.'s done a heck of a job. He's really imposed his personality on the team,' Johnson said. 'He's done a great job of identifying guys who fit that toughness and competitiveness that they play with. The thing we both have done, I don't know if it's similar, but you can't always get rich quick and skip steps. I think we have both, in our own ways, tried to grow within and continue to just improve incrementally.'

--Field Level Media