The Detroit Pistons are in a position most people did not expect them to be in this season.
After winning just 14 games all of last season, the Pistons are 19-18 with a winning record 37 games into the season, something I probably would have bet against.
I thought the Pistons would be better this season (it would be hard not to be) but I didn’t have them pegged as an actual playoff contender, which they currently are. A lot can change over the next half of the season, but as of right now, the Pistons have exceeded all expectations.
Detroit is riding a five-game winning streak (longest since 2017-18) tonight in the second game of a back-to-back after dispatching of the shorthanded Nets. None of the Pistons’ starters played big minutes last night so they should be ready to go tonight against the Warriors, who have dropped two straight and now have a worse record than Detroit.
For those of us who have watched most every game over the last five seasons, it’s like we’re living in the bizarro world, and Detroit will get a chance to extend their streak tonight against a banged up Golden State that could be missing its best player.
Pistons vs. Warriors: Is Steph Curry playing tonight?
The Warriors, much like the Nets, have a bunch of names on their injury report.
Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Dennis Schroder and Moses Moody are all listed as questionable for tonight with various injuries. Brandon Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II have all been ruled out.
The Pistons will be missing Jaden Ivey for the foreseeable future and there is still no update or change in status for Ausar Thompson, who has been out with an illness and will likely be a gametime decision.
The Pistons have all stepped up in Ivey and Thompson’s absence, with rookie Ron Holland II and Marcus Sasser having nice outings in back-to-back games and veterans Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris taking turns picking up the scoring slack.
How to watch Pistons vs. Warriors
Good news for those without cable, as this will be one of a handful of games broadcast on TV 20 Detroit as well as FanDuel Sports Network Detroit.
You can listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket and have a multitude of streaming options to explore here.
Tonight’s 7:00 PM ET tip-off should be in front of a packed house with the Warriors in town and the Pistons looking to extend their winning streak to six games, a sentence I wasn’t expecting to get to write this season.
LET’S GOOOOOOOO!