The Detroit Pistons start a crucial part of their schedule tonight against the Miami Heat, their third meeting of the season.
The teams have split so far, with the Pistons winning the last one in an overtime thriller with some help from Erik Spoelstra.
It’s make or break time for the Pistons, who will take on Miami and Utah at home before heading west for a 4-game road trip against good teams.
Detroit has done little so far to improve the roster, and these next weeks will likely determine whether they will. So far, it seems Trajan Langdon is happy to let this team play it out and potentially keep their 2025 draft pick.
A few wins might change that mindset, so all of these upcoming games are important for those of us who would like to see the Pistons compete for something other than lottery position.
Pistons injuries vs. Heat: Tobias Harris on the shelf
The Pistons did get some positive news on the injury front, as rookie Bobi Klintman is now off the injury list and has been assigned to the Motor City Cruise.
Unfortunately, he’s been replaced by Tobias Harris, who has a hand injury that will keep him sidelined tonight against Miami.
The Heat will be missing Nikola Jovic, Pelle Larson and Josh Richardson for tonight’s game in Little Caesar’s Arena.
How to watch Pistons vs. Heat
The game will tip-off in Detroit at 7:00 PM ET be televised on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit or you can listen on 97.1 The Ticket.
You can find legal streaming options here.
Pistons starting lineup vs. Heat
It will be interesting to see what coach Bickerstaff does with Harris out of the lineup for tonight.
We will likely see Ausar Thompson or rookie Ron Holland II in his spot, which isn’t the worst thing, as the Heat made a ton of 3-point shots in their last meeting and the Pistons need to be more aggressive on the perimeter. Hopefully having quicker, more versatile defenders will help that cause.
Malik Beasley would be another option if the Pistons want to go small and put more shooting on the floor.
The Pistons were saved by the free-throw line against Miami in their overtime win, hitting 24-of-28 to offset the disparity in 3-point shots, so they need to be aggressive getting to the rim tonight and hope for more favorable whistles.
The Heat are on a four-game winning streak that has pulled them into 5th position in the Eastern Conference, which may cool some of the Jimmy Butler rumors that have been circulating.
Detroit is off getting crushed by the Celtics and are lingering in the 11th spot, a half game from the final play-in position, but just 1.5 games from joining the bottom four in the East.