Don’t look now, but the Detroit Pistons are rolling.
Detroit has won three straight, six of their last seven and seven of their last 10 to pull within a game of the 6th seed and final guaranteed playoff spot.
I said that the Pistons need to get right at home to be taken seriously and they have, with a .500 record at Little Caesar’s Arena and a chance to get into the black tonight against the Trail Blazers.
A win would put the Pistons at .500 for the season, a position they haven’t sniffed this far into a season since the Alpha Ginger Blake Griffin was limping around the Motor City.
Even with Jaden Ivey out, you can see this team’s confidence growing and in the last win over Minnesota, they were able to replace him in the aggregate with Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland II and Malik Beasley stepping up.
Detroit has the chance to win four straight (one of my goals for 2025) and stay undefeated in the New Year.
Pistons injuries vs. Trail Blazers
Jaden Ivey will be out for at least the next month, but other than him, the Pistons’ injury report is clean.
I was somewhat concerned we might see Cade Cunningham here after a hard fall against Minnesota, but you’d probably have to tie him to the mast to keep him out of this one with his team rolling.
The Trail Blazers have upgraded Deandre Ayton to probable for tonight’s game, but both Matisse Thybulle and Jerami Grant will be out.
How to watch Pistons vs. Trail Blazers
Cable subscribers can watch the game at 7:00 PM ET on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit or listen on the radio on 97.1 FM The Ticket.
You can find streaming options here if you don’t have cable.
Key to the game for the Pistons
On paper, this is a game Cade Cunningham should dominate, as they don’t have anyone who can match up with him, especially with Jerami Grant out.
The Trail Blazers are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA but in the top half of the league in points in the paint, so forcing them to chuck contested 3-point shots and keeping the ball out of the lane should be the goal for Detroit.
Other than that, it’s just up to Detroit to play their game, keep sharing the ball, take care of it and impose their will on a worse team.
This would be a bad loss, but the Trail Blazers are not pushovers, they compete and you know Chauncey Billups will be eager to get a win against his old team on his bobblehead night.