The Detroit Pistons are all the way back. Since the start of 2025, they’ve been one of the best teams in basketball, with a 27-14 record and the fourth-best net rating in the NBA. Point guard Cade Cunningham looks destined to win Most Improved Player and has an outside chance of being named to the All-NBA First Team, averaging 25.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game and demonstrating significant improvements on both sides of the ball.
The Pistons’ number one priority has to be making sure Cunningham is healthy for the playoff run. If the season ended today, Detroit would be the road team in a series against the equally-hot Indiana Pacers, which the Pistons should feel confident about their chances of winning. Then, the winner would go on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When Detroit faces Cleveland tomorrow for a 7 p.m. clash, it’ll be without Cunningham, who’s been ruled out for a third straight game because of calf soreness. The Pistons have won each of the past two games without him, but the Cavaliers will be by far their toughest test yet. Dennis Schröder has been starting alongside Tim Hardaway Jr., Amen Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren with Cunningham sidelined, averaging 11.5 points and 5.5 assists per game.
One possible wrinkle is that Cleveland will be on the second night of a back-to-back, and recently, the franchise has rested some of its more important pieces. Evan Mobley won’t play tonight against the San Antonio Spurs, so he’ll certainly play on Friday, but it’s conceivable that a player like Jarrett Allen — who’s appeared in every game so far in 2024-25 — will get the day off. Otherwise, the Cavaliers — who have had the league’s seventh-best defense since trading for De’Andre Hunter at the deadline — will be a difficult matchup.
