The Detroit Pistons will try to bounce back from a physical loss against the Magic tonight in Cleveland vs. the Eastern Conference leading Cavaliers.
The Cavs have dropped three straight, but only nine games on the season, so they are one of the surprise teams, not because they are good, but because they are on pace for 70 wins.
Their top four are as good as anyone’s and the Pistons depth and size (two big issues right now) will be put to the test against the East’s best team.
Pistons injuries vs. Cavaliers: Will Tobias Harris play tonight?
Tobias Harris was elbowed in the jaw against Orlando, one of several Pistons who hit the floor during a game in which the Magic were allowed to play rugby. Not that I am complaining, as I like physical basketball, but how on Earth is this not a foul?
Anyway, Harris had to leave the game for concussion precautions and is listed as questionable tonight.
Jaden Ivey is still out (though we should get an update soon), so the Pistons could be down two starters against the best starting five in the East. Not ideal.
The Cavaliers have injuries of their own, as Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Caris LeVert have all been ruled out.
This would be a great game for the Pistons’ bench to go off. They could use a player like Simone Fontecchio to have a big night, as someone is going to have to pick up the scoring slack.
The Pistons have embraced a next player up mentality all season, but at some point, Trajan Langdon is going to have to get these guys some help, as they are not deep enough to absorb the loss of two starters for an extended period.
Detroit Pistons’ size and depth issues
The Magic exposed two issues the Pistons are facing right now, which is that they need a consistent secondary scoring option with Ivey out and they could use some more size.
Not every team is as big as Orlando, who basically run three seven footers at any given time, but the Pistons were clearly bothered by their size, particularly Cade Cunningham in the first half. He’d beat one giant defender just to find another one waiting for him at the rim, though he did crack their defense in the second half.
They’ll be up against another big team tonight in Cleveland, who start both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Detroit’s bigs will have to stay out of foul trouble and hold their own against these two or the Pistons are cooked.
Given that they will be the smaller and quicker team some of the time tonight, the Pistons will have to use every opportunity they get to run off turnovers and Cleveland misses.
How to watch Pistons vs. Cavaliers
The game has a 7:00 PM ET tip off and will be aired on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and on national television on NBA TV.
You can also listen on the radio on 950 AM or find streaming options here.