{"id":386398,"date":"2025-11-03T20:21:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T20:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/386398\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T20:21:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T20:21:15","slug":"pistons-vs-grizzlies-preview-good-chemistry-brewing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/386398\/","title":{"rendered":"Pistons vs Grizzlies preview: Good chemistry brewing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Detroit Pistons continue their early-season road trip tonight in Memphis, carrying a 4\u20132 record and a growing sense of rhythm following Saturday\u2019s 118\u2013107 win over the Orlando Magic in Mexico City.<\/p>\n

The win marked perhaps the team\u2019s most complete effort of the young season \u2014 fueled by a career night from Jalen Duren, who exploded for 33 points and dominated the interior on both ends. Cade Cunningham, meanwhile, orchestrated the offense to perfection, tallying a career-high 18 assists while keeping his turnovers to a minimum \u2014 an encouraging trend over the past two games.<\/p>\n

\"DALLAS,<\/a><\/p>\n

DALLAS, TX – MARCH 21: Tobias Harris #12 of the Detroit Pistons dribbles the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on March 21, 2025 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James\/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Detroit outscored Orlando 35\u201317 in the fourth quarter to put the game away, showing poise and maturity down the stretch that\u2019s been years in the making. Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson each provided timely scoring support, spacing the floor and taking pressure off Cunningham in half-court sets.<\/p>\n

When: 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -4.5<\/p>\n

Memphis (3\u20134) returns home after a tough back-to-back, falling to the Toronto Raptors 117-104 on Sunday night. The Grizzlies will get a major boost for this one, as star guard Ja Morant returns from a one-game suspension. Morant leads the team in scoring at 20.2 points per game and remains one of the league\u2019s most dynamic creators in transition.<\/p>\n

Behind him, Jaren Jackson Jr. (17.2 PPG) continues to anchor the frontcourt with his shot-blocking and floor-spacing ability, while rookie Cedric Coward has quickly emerged as a spark plug off the bench \u2014 averaging 15.5 points and giving Memphis some much-needed scoring punch with their second unit. They\u2019ve seemed to replace Desmond Bane\u2019s production in the aggregate with some of their young players stepping up in the early part of the season, we\u2019ll see if it\u2019s sustainable.<\/p>\n

\"MEMPHIS,<\/a><\/p>\n

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 06: Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons handles the ball against Jaylen Wells #0 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half at FedExForum on October 06, 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

As a team, defense has been the weak spot for the Grizzlies early on. They currently rank 26th in the league in points allowed (121.3 per game), while the Pistons sit sixth in that category (113.5), reflecting Detroit\u2019s early-season commitment to defensive accountability.<\/p>\n

For Detroit, this matchup offers another opportunity to keep building chemistry between Cunningham and Duren \u2014 a pairing that\u2019s looking more and more like the cornerstone of the franchise. With Duren\u2019s improved footwork and soft touch around the rim complementing Cunningham\u2019s evolving playmaking, the two have developed a connection that\u2019s rapidly becoming one of the league\u2019s most intriguing young duos.<\/p>\n

Expect the Pistons to again rely on balanced scoring and disciplined defense, especially in transition where Morant thrives. Memphis will try to speed things up, but Detroit\u2019s ability to control tempo and execute late could make the difference.<\/p>\n

Watch Pistons games with FanDuel Sports Network free for 30 days<\/a>\"DETROIT,<\/a><\/p>\n

DETROIT, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 26: Ausar Thompson #9 of the Detroit Pistons dives for the ball against the Boston Celtics during the third quarter at Little Caesars Arena on October 26, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nic Antaya\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

First 5,000 using the code SBNFALL30 get a free monthNever miss a Pistons game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network<\/p>\n

MATCHUP TO WATCH: Cade Cunningham vs. Ja Morant<\/p>\n

Two of the brightest young guards in the NBA will go head-to-head in a fascinating contrast of styles. Cunningham\u2019s poise, vision, and size make him a problem for most backcourts, while Morant\u2019s explosiveness can break open a game in seconds.<\/p>\n

If Cade can dictate pace and limit live-ball turnovers, Detroit has the edge. But if Morant gets into the open floor and Memphis finds rhythm behind from the supporting cast behind him, this could turn into a shootout.<\/p>\n

DETROIT PISTONS (4\u20132)
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren<\/p>\n

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (3\u20134)
Ja Morant, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jock Landale, Jaylen Wells, Jaren Jackson Jr.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Detroit Pistons continue their early-season road trip tonight in Memphis, carrying a 4\u20132 record and a growing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":215414,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3773],"tags":[7,296,188,52275,3860,6,297,53269],"class_list":{"0":"post-386398","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-pistons","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-detroit","10":"tag-detroit-pistons","11":"tag-detroit-pistons-game-day","12":"tag-detroitpistons","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-pistons","15":"tag-pistons-previews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115487630668687851","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}