Is Ausar Thompson playing tonight? Pistons injuries vs. Raptors

There haven't been any "must" win games for the Detroit Pistons this season, as they sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a disappointing 11-53 record and have already been officially eliminated from the playoffs.

But tonight's game against the Toronto Raptors is one they "should" win, just like the last game against Charlotte, as they are playing a bad team at home that will be missing several key players.

If the Pistons want to continue to develop into a team that can compete for something other than lottery position, then these are the kinds of games the must consistently win.

Cade Cunningham is on fire. Simone Fontecchio had given the offense a boost. Even James Wiseman is playing better of late, but none of it matters if we don't see it consistently, so even though there is nothing real at stake for two disappointing teams, this is one the Pistons need to win.

And given the extent of Toronto's injury report, they should.

Detroit Pistons vs. Toronto Raptors injury update

One of the few positive developments from this season has been the offensive improvement of Ausar Thompson, who has shot the ball much better of late even though he still needs plenty of work.

We saw his value to the team in the loss to Dallas, as he was holding Luka Doncic in check (dare I say even frustrating him?) and Doncic immediately went off when Thompson had to leave the game with an illness.

Thompson is listed as questionable for tonight's game against Toronto, and as of right now, he's the only Pistons player on the official injury list.

You can't say the same for the Raptors, who will be missing Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, Chris Boucher, RJ Barrett and DJ Carlton with Immanuel Quickely and Gary Trent Jr. listed as questionable. Phew.

The Raptors won't have many warm bodies, especially down low, where their depth chart is limited to Kelly Olynyk and Jontae Porter. In other words, expect big games from Jalen Duren and maybe even James Wiseman off the bench, though Olynyk should not be underestimated. He'll be an interesting challenge for Duren, as KO is a crafty defender who knows how to flop (though he was recently fined for it) and will force the Pistons' bigs to chase him on the perimeter. Defending him without fouling will be key.

The Pistons will look for their second straight win at home while the Raptors will try to avoid their 5th straight loss overall.