The Detroit Pistons clearly didn’t have it against the Golden State Warriors, but to their credit, they kept responding and made a game of it anyway only to come up short.
It was their 5th game in seven days, so some amount of fatigue is understandable, especially for Cade Cunningham, who has been putting in the minutes with heavy usage since Jaden Ivey went out with a broken leg.
It was an understandable loss.
Losing tonight to the Raptors at home would not be understandable or acceptable and could potentially set the Pistons up for a freefall, as they are getting ready to enter what is arguably the toughest stretch of the season.
Here are the 13 games after tonight's matchup with Toronto:
@New York Knicks
Vs. Pacers
Vs. Suns
@Houston
@Atlanta
@Orlando
@Cleveland
@Indiana
Vs. Mavs
Vs. Bulls
Vs. Hawks
Vs. Cavaliers
Vs. 76ers
Yikes.
Not only are all of these teams playoff hopefuls, the Pacers, Hawks, Bulls, Magic and 76ers are all either right ahead of or right behind the Pistons in the standings.
It’s not hyperbole to say this stretch (that leads us to the trade deadline) will determine if the Pistons are buyers or sellers. If they emerge from this with a .500 record or better, Trajan Langdon might be more inclined to go for it and add talent.
Given this is their last “easy” game for nearly a month, it’s one the Pistons absolutely have to win if they want to be taken seriously.
Pistons injuries vs. Raptors
Jaden Ivey is still out for the Pistons and likely will be for the foreseeable future. Tim Hardaway Jr. has been upgraded to questionable with a nagging back problem. The Pistons missed THJ in the last game, as Beasley was broke and the Pistons needed another shooter.
Ochai Agbaji is listed as doubtful for the Raptors, who have lost four straight and nine of their last 10 overall.
How to watch Pistons vs. Raptors
Tonight’s 7:00 PM ET tip off will be televised on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and will be on the radio on 97.1 FM The Ticket.
You can find streaming options here if cable is not your thing.
In the recent past, this is a home game that often had more Raptors fans than Pistons in the stands. Let’s hope that is not the case tonight, as Detroit is playing well and could use a big home team advantage tonight before entering a brutal stretch of the schedule.