The Detroit Pistons hope to keep rolling as they head into LA tonight to face the Clippers.
The Pistons are looking for their third win in a row, and their 11th in 12 games, while the Clippers are trying to avoid a four-game skid.
Detroit defeated the LAC back in late February behind their defense, which held the Clippers to just 97 points. They also got big games from Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris, but will have to look elsewhere for offensive support tonight.
Piston injuries vs. Clippers: Will Tobias Harris be back tonight?
Tobias Harris had to miss the last game for personal reasons and he’ll be out again tonight in LA.
The Pistons were also missing Isaiah Stewart in their win over Utah, but he has been upgraded to probable and my guess is that Beef Stew will be back in there.
Avoiding injuries has been one of the keys to the Pistons’ unlikely success this season, so they need Stew and his elite rim protection against a Clippers team that is having depth issues of their own.
Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell have both been ruled out tonight, while Iron Man Ben Simmons is still day-to-day after missing the last game against the Suns and the same holds true for Derrick Jones Jr., who was good in the last game against Detroit.
The injury report is going to be one of the most important things to watch for both of these teams as we head into the home stretch, as the Pistons are surging behind a good run of health while the Clippers are sinking with several key players out.
With Jaden Ivey lurking in the shadows and hoping to make it back this season, it’s possible the Pistons have a big boost coming.
How to watch Pistons vs. Clippers
The game doesn’t start until 10:30 ET PM, which means a 3:30 AM start for those of us living in Ireland, ugh. For those of you who are awake, you can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit or listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket.
You do have the option to stream the game on Amazon Prime if you have a subscription and the add-on, but otherwise you can find streaming options here.
Keys to the game for the Pistons
The Clippers are a good defensive team, so the Pistons will need to replace the 20 points Tobias Harris gave them in the last matchup against LA.
Look for Malik Beasley to get up a few more shots than he did in the last meeting, when he only had nine points.
The Pistons just need to do what they have been doing, which is play hard defense, create turnovers, run, run, run and dominate the paint on both ends. The Pistons are 6th overall in points in the paint per game and 5th in PitP allowed, so they don’t rely on the 3-point shot, but instead getting and stopping the easy ones.