Pistons set franchise record with 42-point halftime lead in 132-92 romp over Bulls

CHICAGO (AP) — Malik Beasley made seven 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, and the Detroit Pistons built a franchise-record, 42-point halftime lead on the way to a 132-92 romp over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.

Detroit outscored the Bulls 71-29 in the first half, eclipsing the previous mark of 34 points against Chicago on March 23, 1969.

Beasley set a Detroit record for 3-pointers in a season with 212 after making 7 of 10. The previous mark was 211 by Saddiq Bey in 2021-22. Cade Cunningham added 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds as the Pistons came away with their most lopsided win of the season.

Tobias Harris scored 18 and Ausar Thompson finished with 16 points as the Pistons rolled to their third win in a row.

The Bulls set a team record by missing their first 20 3-pointers before Ayo Dosunmu hit one near the end of the second quarter. They were 10 of 47 from beyond the arc and shot 35% overall in the game.

Pistons set franchise record with 42-point halftime lead in 132-92 romp over Bulls | iNFOnews.ca
Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) makes a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Things were so comical for Chicago that Nikola Vucevic threw his arms up in mock celebration after making a hook shot late in the first half that trimmed the deficit to 43. And the crowd cheered, too.

Chicago had just two players score in double figures — Matas Buzelis (12 points) and Josh Giddey (11).

Coby White scored a season-low five, making just 2 of 13 shots and missing all eight 3-point attempts.

Takeaways

Pistons: Detroit is sixth in the Eastern Conference and trying to avoid the play-in tournament. Performances like this sure don’t hurt.

Pistons set franchise record with 42-point halftime lead in 132-92 romp over Bulls | iNFOnews.ca
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) makes a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Bulls: The Bulls’ previous record for 3-pointers missed to begin a game was 17 on Nov. 9, 2004, against Phoenix and Feb. 2, 2020, against Charlotte.

Key moment

The Pistons simply took control from the opening tip and never looked back.

Key stat

Detroit shot 53.1% overall and was 18 of 41 on 3-pointers.

Pistons set franchise record with 42-point halftime lead in 132-92 romp over Bulls | iNFOnews.ca
Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (28) makes a shot over Chicago Bulls forward Jalen Smith (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Up next

The teams meet again in Chicago on Wednesday. ___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Pistons set franchise record with 42-point halftime lead in 132-92 romp over Bulls | iNFOnews.ca
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) takes a free throw during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Pistons set franchise record with 42-point halftime lead in 132-92 romp over Bulls | iNFOnews.ca
Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9), left, tries to grab the ball from Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Pistons set franchise record with 42-point halftime lead in 132-92 romp over Bulls | iNFOnews.ca
Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (11), right, chases Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Pistons set franchise record with 42-point halftime lead in 132-92 romp over Bulls | iNFOnews.ca
Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (9) makes a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Pistons set franchise record with 42-point halftime lead in 132-92 romp over Bulls | iNFOnews.ca
Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (9) dunks the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

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