Life is just better when the Detroit Pistons are winning.
There’s something special happening in Detroit right now, as the Pistons have won eight in a row and are sitting alone in the 6th seed just a half game behind the Bucks for the 5th and a game behind the Pacers for the 4th.
The top six in the Eastern Conference have started to pull away from the rest of the pack, as there are now a full five games between Detroit and 7th-seed Orlando.
The East is struggling, as there are only six teams with winning records, while the West has 10, but the Pistons still have plenty of tough games left to play.
Over the last few days, there has been an outpouring of love for the Pistons and not just from the fans, as they are suddenly the darlings of the league.
I’ve seen everyone from Stephen A. Smith to Bill Simmons to Chuck D (he's always loved Detroit) giving props to the Pistons recently, and though it is nice for the team to finally get some positive attention, there is a slight element of patronizing to it that puts me off.
When fans of other teams are saying things like, “it’s good to see the Pistons do well again!” then you know they don’t think you are a real threat.
The Pistons need to progress from darling to villain, to be the team no one wants to play, to be one that the fans of other teams dread. Being a “feel good story” is the first step, but I want the villainy that comes with sustained success.
After beating Boston in the last game, the Pistons can take another step towards that tonight against the Denver Nuggets.
Pistons injuries vs. Nuggets: Will Ausar Thompson play tonight?
No news is good news when it comes to Ausar Thompson, whose name is not currently on the injury report at all.
Hopefully that means his calf cramp was just a cramp and nothing more and that he’ll be ready to go tonight, as he’s been a key part of what is happening in Detroit.
Dennis Schroder and Simone Fontecchio have both been upgraded to probable, so they could have their full assortment of players minus Jaden Ivey.
The Nuggets played just last night, so we’ll have to check their injury report closer to game time to see if there are any late scratches, but as of now they have Vlatko Cancar, DaRon Holmes and Peyton Watson all listed as out for tonight’s game in Little Caesar’s Arena.
This is the first game of a back-to-back for Detroit, who will play the Nets on Saturday, so it would be nice to get these two before heading out on a tough west coast road trip.
How to watch Pistons vs. Nuggets
As usual, the 7:00 PM ET tip-off will be aired on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, but if you live in the city, I encourage you to go to the game and make some noise, as the crowd was clearly a factor in the win over Boston, which you love to see.
I live in Ireland or would be there myself and am currently planning a trip to the States (the first in over four years) around a couple of Pistons games, and if I have time, to see my family. Priorities.
You can listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket or stream on Amazon Prime or several other options.