The team with the fewest wins in the NBA is playing tonight and for once it is not the Detroit Pistons.
The 11-16 Pistons will take on the 5-20 Utah Jazz, and even though these are two teams with losing records, there is plenty at stake for Detroit.
They need to prove they can regularly beat the bad teams, especially at Little Caesar’s Arena, where the Pistons are just 5-7 so far this season.
This is also the final home game before a four-game Western Conference road trip that will see the Pistons play the Suns, Lakers, Kings and Nuggets, so they’d like to book a win before those four tough games on the road.
The Pistons are fresh off a shorthanded thriller over Miami where they blew a big lead and then showed some heart to stay in the game mentally and win it late in overtime. They will be shorthanded again tonight and we’ll have to see how much it really matters.
Pistons injuries vs. Jazz: Are Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart playing?
Isaiah Stewart has been ruled out for tonight’s game after hyperextending his knee against the Heat. This is an injury to watch, as it has left the Pistons dangerously thin at center with just Jalen Duren and Paul Reed. This would be a great night for Bball Paul to go off.
Jaden Ivey is listed as doubtful with a knee injury and Tobias Harris has been upgraded to probable with his thumb issue.
The Jazz will be missing our old friend Svi Mykhailiuk as well as Taylor Hendricks, who are both ruled out for tonight’s matchup in the Motor City.
Injuries may give the Pistons trade ideas
The Pistons won their last game without Jaden Ivey and it may start giving them ideas if they continue to win without him.
To me, Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II are the 1-3 of the future and Ivey best suited for a bench role.
But he could also be trade bait at the deadline or in the offseason, as Ivey is extension eligible this summer and the Pistons are going to have to make some tough choices, as they are not going to be able to keep all of these young players once they all get raises.
Thompson looks almost back to form, Holland has been playing well, so this is great chance for those two to continue to prove themselves in Ivey’s absence. Ivey has been better this season, but you have to ask if the Pistons truly need him when their offense is just as good with Malik Beasley on the floor.
How to watch Pistons vs. Jazz
The 7:00 PM ET tip off will be on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit or you can listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket if that’s your thing.
The Pistons have added some streaming options that you can find here.