Pistons Set Franchise Record with 42-Point Halftime Lead in Blowout Win vs. Bulls
CHICAGO – The Detroit Pistons made history on Tuesday night, setting a franchise record with a 42-point halftime lead in a dominant 132-92 victory over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
Detroit outscored the Bulls 71-29 in the first half, breaking their previous largest halftime lead of 34 points, which also came against Chicago on March 23, 1969. The 40-point margin of victory was their largest since 2012 and tied for the third-largest road win in team history.
Malik Beasley Breaks Pistons’ 3-Point Record
Malik Beasley led the way with a record-setting performance, drilling 7-of-10 from beyond the arc to bring his season total to 212 three-pointers. This surpassed the previous Pistons’ record of 211 threes set by Saddiq Bey in 2021-22.
Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham delivered an all-around performance with 20 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds, while Tobias Harris added 18 points and Ausar Thompson contributed 16 as Detroit cruised to its most lopsided win of the season.
“The thing I’m most proud about is how we built the lead and never let up,” Beasley said. “We kept going. That was the biggest thing.”
With the win, the Pistons secured a winning record heading into the All-Star break for the first time in 16 seasons, according to ESPN Research.
Bulls Struggle in Historically Poor Shooting Night
It was a nightmare game for Chicago, who set an unfortunate team record by missing their first 20 three-point attempts before Ayo Dosunmu finally hit one late in the second quarter. The Bulls finished the night 10-of-47 from deep (21%) and shot just 35% overall.
“It’s embarrassing,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan admitted. “Our guys probably feel the same way. On the home court, yeah, who wants to go through that?”
Even Nikola Vucevic resorted to sarcasm, throwing his arms up in mock celebration after making a hook shot to cut the deficit to 43 points in the first half. The home crowd responded with a mix of laughter and boos, as frustration mounted.
“We deserved that,” said Bulls guard Josh Giddey, referring to the boos. “We didn’t give the fans anything to cheer for. We were down 40 in the first half, and that’s not acceptable.”
Chicago had only two players in double figures—Matas Buzelis (12 points) and Giddey (11 points)—while Coby White struggled mightily, scoring a season-low five points on 2-of-13 shooting, missing all eight three-point attempts.
Bulls Get Immediate Shot at Revenge
The Bulls won’t have to wait long for a shot at redemption. The two teams meet again on Wednesday, giving Chicago a chance to respond to one of their most humiliating losses of the season.
Can Detroit keep the momentum rolling, or will Chicago bounce back? Stay tuned for another Eastern Conference showdown!
