The Detroit Pistons did exactly what they needed to do in their penultimate game before the All-Star break, which is put an end-to-end beatdown on the Chicago Bulls.
The best part is that they’ll get the chance to do it again tonight, as they have another game against the Bulls prior to the All-Star break.
There’s not much to say about the game itself except it was the most thorough evisceration the Pistons have enjoyed in a long time. They held the Bulls to just 29 points in the first half and at one point, led by as many as 49.
Detroit got to empty their bench, the starters didn’t have to play big minutes, so they should be ready to go at it again tonight.
The Bulls are shorthanded and not very good, especially after trading Zach LaVine, but the Pistons cannot afford a letdown tonight or think they can just show up and put another butt-whooping on the Bulls without effort.
They embarrassed Chicago last night and I expect the Bulls will at least want to regain some of their dignity tonight, so the Pistons have to come with the same energy and effort.
A win tonight could be huge for the standings, as the Pistons are now just a game behind the Bucks, who will go on the road tonight to face Minnesota, who has been much better of late, winning seven of their last 10.
If the Pistons take care of business and the Bucks lose, they’ll be tied for the 5th seed, though currently the Bucks do own the tiebreaker with a 2-0 head-to-head record against Detroit this year so far.
However, the two teams finish the season with a game in Detroit and one in Milwaukee, so this is setting up for a wild finish. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves here with so many games left to play, but the Eastern Conference has six teams ranked 4-9 that are within four games of each other, so this could be an epic ending.
Pistons injuries vs. Bulls
The Pistons are only missing Jaden Ivey and the Bulls will still be without Adama Sanogo and Lonzo Ball, so nothing has changed yet for tonight.
As always, it’s good to check the official injury report closer to game time for the latest updates.
How to watch Pistons vs. Bulls
I hate these central time zone games that start at 8:00 PM ET, as it means 1:00 AM for me here in Ireland. This season has not been good for my insomnia, that’s for sure, but it’s worth it.
You can watch on the standard channel, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit or listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket.
If you are without cable, here are streaming options to explore.