The Detroit Pistons had a much-needed day off after completing a 4-game road trip that was successful all things considered.
Detroit beat the teams they needed to and didn’t lose any ground, as they’ve been getting help from the teams around them.
Last night the Hornets defeated the Heat, the Bulls took care of the Pacers and the Rockets beat the Magic, all good for Detroit, who creeped closer in the standings on their day off.
The Pistons are now tied with the Pacers for the 5th seed (though Indiana owns the tiebreaker) and just one game behind the Bucks for the 4th. Detroit enjoys a five-game cushion over 7-seed Atlanta and with the Bucks and Pacers playing each other tonight, could move into a tie for the 4th seed by day’s end.
They are playing the league-worst Wizards, who are on the second game of a back-to-back, so to call this a must-win for the Pistons is an understatement, as losing either of the next two games against the Wizards at home would be catastrophic with OKC coming into town just after.
We’ll talk more about this as it approaches, but I am not so sure the Pistons really want to move up in the standings unless they can get all the way to the three seed, which is unlikely given they are 5.5 games back of New York. Records aside, the Pistons have played much better against the Knicks this season than they have the Bucks.
Detroit hasn’t beaten Milwaukee since 2022, so be careful what you wish for Detroit, as moving up may not be in Detroit’s best interest.
Pistons injuries vs. Wizards: The tank is on in Washington
The Wizards no longer have a stranglehold on the league’s worst record, as the Hornets and Jazz are plummeting towards them, so we may see the same tanking lineup that Washington ran out last night.
They were missing Marcus Smart, Khris Middleton, Richaun Holmes, Bilal Coulibaly, Colby Jones, Malcolm Brogdon and Saddiq Bey. Only Bey has been ruled out definitively, though Jones and Brogdon are likely to miss tonight’s game as well. The rest are listed as day-to-day or out for “rest” (why does Khris Middleton need rest? He’s barely played), so who knows what we’ll see tonight.
The Pistons are still missing Jaden Ivey, though we should soon get another update on his progress.
How to watch Pistons vs. Wizards
Last year, I called this game the Superbowl of Misery, so plenty has changed, at least for Detroit, who has a lot at stake. You can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit or listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket.
There are also streaming options available, including Amazon Prime for those with the add-on.