I’m really feeling the grind of the end of this season. It’s already hard enough as it feels like biding time waiting for news on when Cade Cunningham will return to the lineup from the collapsed lung. Then you look at the schedule, and you see the New Orleans Pelicans are on it. That is not a huge motivator for me to want to sit down and invest three hours into a regular season game with likely zero impact on standings and seeding. To be clear, the Detroit Pistons could completely embarrass themselves and give an obviously winnable game away. You could even make the case that the Pelicans are on quite an extended respectability streak. They are 10-6 in their last 16 games, including wins against the Raptors and two wins against the Clippers. That’s not nothing! For the Pistons, Marcus Sasser is back in action, and Caris LeVert is once again out. LeVert was being forced into ball-handling far above his station, and hopefully Sasser can at least fill that role in a more responsible manner. More importantly, Duncan Robinson is also out tonight. Also known as Detroit’s one reliable 3-point shooter. Kevin Huerter is starting in his place. Lastly, remember, the Pistons are an NBA-best 10-2 on the end of a back-to-back this season.
Game Vitals
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -5
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Projected LineupsDetroit Pistons (52-20)
Daniss Jenkins, Ausar Thompson, Kevin Huerter, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
New Orleans Pelicans (25-48)
Dejounte Murray, Saddiq Bey, Herbert Jones, Zion Williamson, DeAndre Jordan