Central Notes: Pistons, McConnell, Giannis, Porter

The Pistons had their 13-game winning streak snapped tonight, dropping a tough 117-114 decision at Boston in NBA Cup play. They fell one game short of setting the longest win streak in franchise history, but players told Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press earlier this week that the streak wasn’t the primary thing on their minds.

“We never talked about it,” Cade Cunningham said. “We wanted to find our way to the top of the league. We’ve seen the bottom of the league before. … We’re excited about the opportunity, but this is just a product of the work. This isn’t what we were going for; we still have bigger things to do.”

At 15-3, the Pistons are still atop the East and have the second-best record in the NBA. Their defense ranked third in the league coming into tonight’s game, and they’re getting contributions from the entire roster. They’ve also gained confidence after going through a historically bad season in 2023/24 and rebounding to make the playoffs last spring.

“We were talked bad about, we were the laughingstocks, and now that the tables have turned, everybody wants to be on this side,” Isaiah Stewart said. “Everybody wants to be on the wagon and everybody wants to say great things about us. That’s a good thing, that’s a good thing. We’re not taking that lightly. All we’re doing is just keeping our heads down and taking it day by day.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

• Pacers guard T.J. McConnell has played seven games since returning from a strained hamstring, but he admits that it took a while for him to start feeling good again, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. McConnell missed a big chunk of his normal preparation process after suffering the injury in Indiana’s first preseason contest. “It hasn’t all been positive,” he said. “I’ve never hurt a muscle before, so I think the process getting back has been more difficult than I anticipated just in terms of my wind and my legs. I’m doing everything I can to continue to build that. I think I anticipated some inconsistencies with the flow of the game and my rhythm, but I feel like I’m starting to come into that.”
• The Bucks were hoping to have Giannis Antetokounmpo back in time for tonight’s NBA Cup contest in Miami, but the team announced shortly before tipoff that he’s missing a fourth straight game with a low-grade groin strain. He was listed as questionable heading into the game.
• The Bucks assigned Kevin Porter Jr. to their G League affiliate as he continues to work his way back from meniscus surgery. The Wisconsin Herd don’t play again until Sunday, so he’ll likely just be practicing with the team, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link).