The Detroit Pistons game against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 30th has been flexed into a national television spot on NBC.
The game was originally supposed to be the Kings vs. the Clippers, who both stink, so the league swapped them out for a much-anticipated matchup between LeBron James and Luka Doncic vs. the best team in the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons have a long-standing rivalry with the Lakers, and for those of you too young to remember, there are plenty of reasons to hate them. The Lakers are also one of the best teams in the West, widely considered to be the superior conference, even though the Pistons are 5-0 against them this season so far.
This sets up a huge nationally televised game against a good team on the road, which will have a playoff atmosphere that will act as the perfect test for the Pistons.
The Lakers game comes at the ideal time to test the Pistons
The Pistons will play the Lakers on the last stop of a 5-game West road trip that will see Detroit play the Trail Blazers, Kings, Jazz and Clippers as a warm-up to the Lakers.
The first four are all games in which the Pistons will be favored, though you can’t overlook anyone in the NBA, ask the Bucks, who got hammered by 45 points last night by the tanking Nets.
Knowing this game is lurking, there will be temptation to look past the bad teams in between, but Detroit has resisted that temptation so far this season and is bringing energy in every game.
The Lakers game also acts as a hinge for when the Pistons schedule starts to get tough, as they will return back home to play the Heat, before a road game against the Cavs (who spanked Detroit in their first matchup) before playing the Knicks on the second game of a back-to-back after traveling (nice work NBA!).
The Knicks game is obviously one everyone has had circled since the schedule came out, and they are right behind Detroit in the standings.
There are pundits and fans that have questioned if the Pistons are legit contenders, and this stretch will give them a chance to prove that they are, as it’s a long road trip over the holidays followed by games against their biggest threats in the East.
The matchup vs. the Knicks will kick off a six-game homestand in which the Pistons can assert themselves as the best team in the East and go into the midpoint of the season with momentum.