The Pistons had the game well in hand late in the fourth quarter when Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle pulled his starters out with 3:23 left. The Pistons held a 113-94 lead and were on their way to improving to 3-0 for the in-season tournament in East Group B.

However, despite having a 19-point lead, the Pistons didn’t take their foot off the gas. They closed the game on a 17-12 run en route to a 130-106 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Detroit’s primary reason for not letting up was to increase its team’s point differential. The blowout victory gave the Pistons a slight edge over the Milwaukee Bucks (3-0) in East Group B, with a point differential of 30. But the chance to add to the Pacers’ misery was a pleasing moment for the Pistons.

“I remember last year Indiana ran up the score on us and how serious they took it,” Cade Cunningham said following his return from a joint injury. “They were going for points and just beat us up. We all want to go to (Las) Vegas and experience that win — we are going for it.”

Cunningham, who finished with 24 points and 11 assists, revealed that the Pistons took Friday’s game personal. They not only held on to the 23-point embarrassment sustained in last year’s NBA Cup contest, but they were also mindful of the Pacers’ recent dominance. Detroit was on a five-game losing streak to its divisional foe while falling short in seven of the previous nine games.

“The sense of urgency is high for sure,” Cunningham said. “But we need every game that we can get anyways.”

However, the holdovers from last year’s team were not the only players who had a vendetta. As a member of the Bucks, Malik Beasley played against the Pacers 11 times last season, including a six-game series during the first round of the 2024 playoffs. The Bucks advanced to the semifinals in Las Vegas, but their in-season championship ended in a loss to the Pacers.

Beasley respects each player on the Pacers’ roster but doesn’t like them as a team. His animosity toward Indiana led to a 25-point performance on 10-for-14 shooting, including five made 3-pointers. Beasley capped off his last triple of the night with a shimmy.

“Playing against the Pacers is always kind of personal for me,” Beasley said. “I don’t like them, and they don’t like me. It’s competitive, and I am glad we got the win. … We just wanted to get our defense back, and that took us to a whole different level. When you go up by a lot, sometimes you have to slow down. But tonight was one of the occasions where we were able to keep going. It was fun.”

For a team that has not appeared in the playoffs since 2019, the in-season tournament has given the Pistons a chance to play games with major significance. During the dreadful 2023-24 campaign, Detroit went 0-4 during the league’s inaugural tournament.

A victory over the Bucks on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena would advance the Pistons to the knockout round. It will mark the first of three single-game elimination stages, the first one taking place on the Pistons’ home floor. A win in the knockout round would make the Pistons one of four teams competing for the Emirates Cup in Las Vegas.

The Pistons are set on winning their first cup in franchise history. However, each win during the in-season tournament would also help Detroit recapture some respect and relevance.

“Our guys are into it,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “The fun part is that it gives them that extra incentive and, especially for our young guys, the chance to feel what it’s like when something is on the line, to understand the pressure.”