Some wins look pretty in the box score, and then there are wins that forge the identity of a contender. Sunday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was decidedly the latter for the Detroit Pistons.

In the second meeting between two Eastern Conference heavyweights that are inextricably linked because of their deep ties, the Cavs lost to the top-seeded Pistons, 114-110, inside Rocket Arena on Sunday afternoon.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/pistons/onsi as One thing Detroit Pistons need to become a true title contender. The Detroit Pistons are the best team in the Eastern Conference going into the new calendar year, but that doesn't mean they are a perfect squad by any means.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 27 points, shooting 7-of-19 from the field and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line.

Over a key stretch of big games coming up, the Pistons will be without Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris and Caris LeVert.

The Detroit Pistons suffered their ninth loss of the regular season to kickoff the new year Thursday night against the Miami Heat. Detroit still stands atop the