Isaiah Stewart delivered the most productive scoring night of his NBA career as the Detroit Pistons defeated the Chicago Bulls 108-93 on Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Playing without All-Star Cade Cunningham and fellow starters Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren, Detroit leaned on physicality and execution to improve to 28-9 and remain atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Stewart finished with a career-high 31 points on 14-of-17 shooting, surpassing his previous best of 26 set earlier this season against Memphis.
The big man established tone early, scoring 11 points in the opening quarter while repeatedly punishing mismatches in the paint and finishing through contact.
Detroit built its offense around interior touches and ball movement, compensating for missing perimeter creators with efficient possessions.
Two-way guard Daniss Jenkins played a central role in that approach, recording a career-high 15 assists while adding six rebounds and controlling tempo for long stretches.
Chicago kept pace through three quarters and carried a 77-76 lead into the final period behind steady shot-making and second-chance points.
That advantage evaporated quickly, as the Pistons opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to seize control and never look back.
The Bulls’ offense stalled under pressure, missing 12 of their first 16 shots in the quarter, including eight of 10 from three-point range.
Turnovers compounded the issue, as Chicago gave the ball away three times during that stretch and struggled to generate clean looks.
Detroit capitalized with a 14-4 edge in points in the paint, extending the margin to 101-87 with two minutes remaining.
The Pistons finished the night shooting 49 percent from the field and committed just eight turnovers, a key factor in closing out the game without their usual ball-dominant options.
Ausar Thompson added 11 points, eight rebounds, and three steals, while Duncan Robinson chipped in 12 points on four made three-pointers.
Chicago, which has now lost three straight, was led by Ayo Dosunmu with 24 points off the bench.
Nikola Vucevic recorded 20 points and 16 rebounds, and rookie forward Matas Buzelis added 20 points, but the Bulls lacked cohesion late.
Chicago shot 43 percent overall but managed only 16 points in the fourth quarter as Detroit’s defense tightened.
The Pistons have now won four of their last five games and continue to show depth and adaptability amid injuries.
Detroit will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, while Chicago returns home to face the Miami Heat on Thursday.
