The Detroit Pistons will take on the Milwaukee Bucks tonight at Little Caesar’s Arena in a game that might have the largest spread of the season.
The Bucks have the best record in the NBA and MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo has been upgraded to probable, so this is not a game the Pistons are expected to win. Detroit has lost 16 of their last 17 games, and with only eight remaining, may not win another.
Right now, Detroit is tied for the fewest wins in franchise history, a dubious honor that they can avoid with another win, but where is it going to come from? There are no “easy” games on the schedule when you are the league’s worst team, but Detroit will have a couple of opportunities to get at least one more win this season and avoid going into the franchise record books.
Here’s a look at the upcoming games and the chances the Detroit Pistons will get another win before the season is mercifully over.
Pistons schedule: Will Detroit get another win?
Just about all of the teams Detroit will play have something to play for, so it’s not going to be easy to get another “W” for the Pistons, especially as they have all of their veterans out with injuries.
- vs. Milwaukee
- @OKC
- @Houston
- @Orlando
- vs. Miami
- vs. Brooklyn
- @Indiana
- @Chicago
Detroit has lost 11 of their last 12 games against Milwaukee, so don’t expect them to get a win tonight unless the Bucks decide to rest most of their team. The Thunder have surged into the 10th spot and won 6-of-10 overall, so they are playing pretty well and will want to hold onto the final play-in spot.
The best chance for a win will be at Houston, though it is certainly no gimme. The Rockets have lost five in a row but 12 of their 18 wins this season have come in their home building. They also beat the Pistons already once this season and that was with Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks and Saddiq Bey still in the lineup.
The Magic have won three in a row in their quest to reach the play-in. They are unlikely to get there, but are fairly locked into their lottery position as well and have little to gain from losing. The two teams have also formed somewhat of a rivalry, so the Magic will bring their A-game.
Miami and Brooklyn are currently tied and trying to avoid the play-in tournament, so you can expect big-time effort against Detroit in games in which they will be heavily favored.
Indiana is 2.5 behind the Bulls for the final play-in spot, so depending on what happens between now and then, they will have plenty to play for, as will Chicago, who is clinging to that final spot and hoping to salvage something from their disappointing season.
So Detroit will only play one more game against a team that has nothing to play for, and if they don’t get that win against Houston, they could end up with just 16 wins and a tie for the worst record in team history.