• The Detroit Pistons defeated the Chicago Bulls by a significant margin, marking their third consecutive win.
• Malik Beasley set a new franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a season.
• Ausar Thompson contributed significantly to the Pistons’ offense with an impressive performance in the first half.

CHICAGO — The game appeared to already be in hand for the Detroit Pistons early in the second quarter, leading the Chicago Bulls by 23 points after back-to-back 3-pointers from Isaiah Stewart and Malik Beasley. 

That was before a decisive 21-0 run that ended any hopes of a comeback. The Pistons stomped the Bulls in their own arena at United Center on Tuesday, 132-92, to pick up their third straight win.

The Pistons moved to two games above .500 (28-26). They will face the Bulls again on Wednesday before All-Star Weekend begins Friday. 

By the end of the Pistons’ 21-0 run, they led by 45 points, 67-22, with 2:32 remaining until halftime. It was a strong two-way performance, aided by a lethargic performance from a Bulls team that missed its first 20 3-pointers and finished the first half 1-for-23 beyond the arc. 

THE NEW GUY:Dennis Schröder is great fit with Detroit Pistons: ‘I can bring a lot to this team’

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

At halftime, the Pistons led 71-29 — making the Bulls the third team this season to fail to crack 30 points by halftime, joining the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings. In that span, the Pistons shot 27-for-47 (57.4%) overall with 17 assists and seven turnovers. 

Beasley led the Pistons with 24 points on 7-for-10 shooting from 3, and Cade Cunningham (20 points, seven assists, six rebounds), Tobias Harris (18 points), Ausar Thompson (16 points, four steals, four assists, two blocks) and Isaiah Stewart (14 points, six rebounds) also scored in double figures.

With 27 games remaining, the Pistons have already doubled last season’s win total and have a chance to move to three games above .500 for the first time this season heading into the All-Star break. 

Beasley sets franchise record for 3s

After opening the fourth quarter by knocking down his seventh and final 3-pointer of the night, Beasley received smiles and high fives from teammates as he checked out. With 212 made 3-pointers this season, Beasley now owns the franchise record for made 3-pointers in a season, surpassing the 211 knocked down by Saddiq Bey in 2021-22. With 27 games remaining, Beasley has ample time to add to his lead.

SHAWN WINDSOR:Detroit Pistons have surprised themselves with playoff drive. Here’s path to finishing it

He’s second in the league in made 3-pointers, trailing Minnesota Timberwolves wing Anthony Edwards, who has 220.

Thompson ignites offense early 

It was an electric start for the second-year wing, who led the Pistons with eight points in the opening quarter and 14 by halftime. Thompson went right through Matas Buzelis for a two-handed dunk for his first bucket of the night, and followed with a spin past Buzelis in transition, followed by another transition layup to lead a game-opening 16-6 Pistons run. 

He added an assist in that stretch, finding Harris backdoor with a lob. In the second quarter, he capped the Pistons’ 21-0 run with a layup and a pair of free throws, before finishing a fastbreak alley-oop lob from Tim Hardaway Jr. shortly before halftime to extend the lead to 44, 71-27. 

Along with his penetration, Thompson also tallied four steals to ignite Detroit’s transition offense. The Pistons had a 15-4 lead over the bulls in fastbreak points by halftime. 

Pistons continue strong starts

Tuesday marked the Pistons’ third straight game — all wins — in which they led by at least 20 points at halftime. On Sunday, they led the Charlotte Hornets 66-46 at Little Caesars Arena. Two days prior, they led the Philadelphia 76ers by 29 — 78-49 — en route to another home win. 

Their dominance over the Bulls on Tuesday, however, was different. They led by 16 after the first quarter, and proceeded to open the second with a 29-4 run that had the United Center crowd booing with plenty of time left on the clock. Their 42-point lead after two quarters tied the Bulls’ largest halftime deficit in franchise history.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.

Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress).