How do the Detroit Pistons play against tanking teams in regional TV games? Unfortunately for Thursday’s opposing Washington Wizards, set to tip off against the host Pistons at 7 p.m. EST, the Pistons have been taking every shot to hurt the have-nots while building a 37-12 record and a new three-game win streak.

Detroit smashed the Brooklyn Nets by a huge margin of 130-77 last Sunday, led by center Jalen Duren’s 21-point double-double in merely two full quarters of playing time. Prior to that, Cade Cunningham’s lineup feasted in its handful of games against teams assured to miss the playoffs, such as Sacramento, New Orleans, and Indiana. The LA Clippers are the poorest team to beat Detroit in regulation thus far. 

To be fair, Washington took Detroit into overtime on Nov. 10, with Motor City notching the 137-135 win in single OT thanks to Cunningham’s 46 points and a triple-double. The Pistons might love to prove that result was a fluke. But can they do so less than 48 hours after a drama with the Denver Nuggets?

Pistons -3.5 (-117)Wizards +3.5 (+100)Over 227.5 (+104)Under 226.5 (-113)

Note: The above data was collected on Feb. 5, 2026, and may have changed since writing. 

Detroit Pistons vs Washington Wizards Betting Trends Detroit has defeated Washington in five of the last six meetings.Gambling totals have gone under in 16 of the last 22 encounters. Totals have gone under in 10 of Detroit’s last 11 home games.Detroit Pistons vs Washington Wizards Injury ReportsForward Tolu Smith is questionable with a calf injury.Guard Kevin Huerter is out with a back injury.Forward Dario Saric is out, not due to injury. Guard Tre Johnson is out with an ankle injury.Forward Tristan Vukcevic is out with a hamstring injury.Guard Cam Whitmore is out for the season with a shoulder injury.Point guard Trae Young is out with a knee injury.Detroit Pistons vs Washington Wizards Predictions and Picks

The Pistons had their second crazy clash with the Nuggets in eight days on Tuesday. Detroit drew up a nice lead with an edge in fast-break points, but had to hold off a furious Nuggets comeback to go 2-0 against the Mile High City. Cunningham again paced the Pistons’ scoring with 29 points, though the foremost statistic is that the 24-year-old is maintaining the NBA lead in assists per contest at 9.8. 

Detroit’s front office isn’t sitting on its success. The Pistons are “acquiring Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric” from the Chicago Bulls, as per the reporting of Omari Sankofa II in a free-of-charge read from the Detroit Free Press, giving up the shooting guard Jaden Ivey in exchange. Huerter’s career 37.1% mark from downtown, not to mention his double-digit point average, is a shiny upside in the deal for Detroit. 

Washington, currently paced by the second-year center Alex Sarr at 17.3 PPG, won three of its first four games in a homestand that wrapped up on Tuesday. But the Wizards’ starting five was terrible in losing to New York 132-101, putting a stop to any upward trend. Pick the Pistons to cover Thursday’s wide spread.