What should have been an entirely positive start to 2025 instead began in dramatic fashion for the Detroit Pistons when Jaden Ivey went down with a gruesome leg injury.
Ivey did get some “good” news with a diagnosis of a broken fibula, which I am told is one of the better options given how bad it first looked.
Ivey has already had successful surgery and will be re-evaluated in a month, which is great news for him and the Pistons. There is still a chance he’ll return this season, which has been a career one for Ivey and the last before he is eligible for an extension this summer.
All things considered, it could be worse.
The league also got the first results from the All-Star voting and Cade Cunningham was just 6th among Eastern Conference guards.
Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo are leading the NBA’s first 2024-25 All-Star fan voting returns: pic.twitter.com/eQeU60l673
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 2, 2025
This shows how tough it is going to be for Cunningham to get voted in, as he has 700,000 fewer votes than LaMelo Ball, who is leading all guards. This part of the All-Star game is a popularity contest and Cade has little chance against Ball, who has legions of fans outside of small-market Charlotte.
I would argue that Cunningham is having a better season than Ball overall even though LaMelo is scoring more points, but fans don’t necessarily use logic.
Donovan Mitchell is leading the best team in the East so far, Damian Lillard is a household name and also having a very good season, Jalen Brunson has been fantastic for the big-market Knicks and Trae Young is leading the NBA in assists per game and has his team in the 7th seed.
This is going to be an uphill battle for Cade Cunningham to make his first All-Star game, but it starts with making a statement tonight by dominating LaMelo and the Hornets at Little Caesar’s Arena.
You can help him out by voting for Cade here.
Pistons injuries vs. Hornets
The Pistons will be missing Simone Fontecchio, who is out for personal reasons, as well as Jaden Ivey, who will be on the shelf for at least a month.
Cade Cunningham may have to wait to get a shot at LaMelo, who is listed as questionable for the Hornets along with half of their roster, including Brandon Miller, Cody Martin and DeQuan Jeffries.
Tre Mann and Grant Williams have both been ruled out, so the Hornets will be shorthanded as they try to break an 8-game losing streak.
How to watch Pistons vs. Hornets
The game in Little Caesar’s Arena will tip off at 7:00 PM ET and you can watch on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit or listen on 97.1 FM.
If you do not have cable, you do have streaming options you can find here.