Detroit Pistons: 3 things to watch in biggest game of the season vs. Magic

The Detroit Pistons have been eliminated from the playoffs but still have crucial games left to be played, including tonight vs. the Orlando Magic.

I wrote that the Pistons had two games left that might determine their final lottery odds and tonight is one of them, as the Magic are right “behind” the Pistons the standings.

Detroit currently has the second-worst record in the NBA, with the Timberwolves a half game and the Magic just a game ahead of them.

A win tonight could flip-flip this and the Pistons could find themselves with the fourth-worst record.

This is important, as the bottom three teams all have the same odds for a top-four or number one pick, while the odds start to change with at the 4th-worst team.

Those odds only drop slightly, but after a season of losing, fans would at least like the team to maximize their chances, even if the number one overall pick is still a long shot.

Here are three things to watch vs. the Orlando Magic in a crucial game for the tank.

Detroit Pistons: Offense and defense

The Pistons have been going in different directions offensively and defensively.

While their defense has been improving in the second half of the season, the offense is getting worse.

Over their last ten games, the Detroit Pistons have only allowed an average of 108.6 points, which would be good for top-five in the NBA if done over a full season.

It’s the Pistons’ offense that has let them down, as they are only scoring 103.3 points on average, which would be dead last in the NBA.

It’s clear where the Pistons need to focus in the offseason and one of their top priorities has to be to get more shooting and scoring. They have the personnel to be a top-ten defense but it won’t matter if they can’t score.