New Pistons injuries could push the series towards the unexpected

The Detroit Pistons added Duncan Robinson to an injury list that already had Caris LeVert and Kevin Huerter on it, with all three players listed as questionable for tonight’s pivotal game five against the Cavaliers. 

Huerter has yet to play in this series, so this is nothing new, and even if he were healthy, I am not sure coach Bickerstaff would toss him right into the fire given that he hasn’t played in a while. 

LeVert was listed as questionable for the last game and came out and had his best game of the season, so hopefully he’s just on the injury list for superstition purposes and can give the Pistons similar production tonight. 

Duncan Robinson is new to the list with a back injury and if the Pistons are missing him, they will have to dig deep into their reserves to try and save their season. 

If Duncan Robinson is injured, someone has to step up 

These three are probably the Pistons’ best bench scorers, so if they are missing all three, they are in trouble and will need even more from a starting lineup that has been coming up short of late. 

This would be a great game for Jalen Duren to drop 30 points, but barring that, the Pistons will need help from some unexpected places. 

Marcus Sasser scored seven points in three minutes of garbage time in the last game and has been a guy JB Bickerstaff has turned to this season when other players were injured. Sasser started five games this season and averaged just under 10 points per game while shooting 48 percent from 3-point range. 

He can also get his own shot, which is something the Pistons have desperately needed in this series, so if Robinson is out, and coach Bickerstaff wants to keep his bench rotation mostly intact, then I could see him turning to Sasser, who could potentially inject some much-needed offense into the starting five. 

We could see Javonte Green get a start, but he has struggled in this series on both ends, so I’d far rather see Sasser get an opportunity if JB has to dig into his deep bench. 

The Pistons were able to weather injuries all season because of their ability to step up in a pinch, and there is no bigger pinch than a must-win playoff game with your season potentially on the line. 

We have to hope Robinson and LeVert can go tonight, but the Pistons do have options, and one of them will have to seize the moment for Detroit to survive at home. 

The Pistons already wasted one good LeVert game, so if another bench player delivers, they have to turn it into a W.

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