The Detroit Pistons will welcome the Eastern Conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers to Little Caesar’s Arena tonight, less than 24 hours before the NBA trade deadline.
The Pistons are fresh off a disappointing loss to the Atlanta Hawks, which was their fourth game in six days and looked like it.
Not to make excuses, but the Pistons were on the second game of a back-to-back and there are only nine teams in the NBA that have a winning record on short rest. The Pistons are not one of them and own a terrible 2-7 record on the second game of a back-to-back.
Cleveland is 8-2 in these situations on the season, so it clearly hasn’t affected them. They will be in that scenario tonight after a loss against Boston last night.
The Pistons actually moved up in the standings last night when Miami lost, so are sitting in 6th again, just two games behind the Bucks, who have suddenly lost four straight.
The eve of the NBA trade deadline usually produces some strange lineups when guys are coincidentally stricken with personal problems (Zach LaVine anyone?) or dubious injuries, a good sign of who is going to be traded.
Are there any trade deadline injuries in this one?
Pistons injuries vs. Cavaliers: Any suspicious injuries?
Thus far, the Pistons only have Jaden Ivey on the injury report, but check back before gametime, as we may see an unexpected name pop up, in which case that guy is probably getting traded.
I wouldn’t be shocked to see Simone Fontecchio or Tim Hardaway Jr. sitting out tonight, which would be an indication of something brewing.
The Cavaliers will be missing Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Luke Travers, but these are all real injuries, so it’s not a sign that any of them are being traded.
After the Luka Doncic trade, the league is on edge and GMs and fans are dreaming about what big name might be moved next and whether it will be to their team.
I have four superstars in mind, and gave one of them a slight chance of ending up in Detroit.
How to watch Pistons vs. Cavaliers
Most fans will have one eye on their phones tonight waiting for Shams Charania updates and the other on the 7:00 PM ET tip-off on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit.
You can also listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket or take advantage of one of the many streaming options available.