A couple weeks ago, things were fun, the Pistons were winning pretty much every night, and in the midst of all of that they built a pretty sizable lead over the 7th and 8th seeds to keep them away from the Play-In Tournament.
As the winning continued, it looked like they might even have a shot at the 4th seed and homecourt advantage in the playoffs. The Pistons still have a 5 game lead over the 7th seeded [Atlanta Hawks](https://www.peachtreehoops.com) and are only a couple games back of the Bucks/Pacers for 4th, but the vibes are not as good as they were a few weeks ago.
As the Pistons head to New Orleans to face a Pelicans team that is probably a little better than their record, they have lost four of their last six games and face their most winnable stretch of games remaining on their schedule. The teams below the Pistons have easier schedules remaining, so this 3-game road trip against the Pelicans, Heat, and Mavericks is pretty much a must-win road trip. The Pistons might benefit a bit with some of the better teams they play in late-March and April resting players as they gear up for the playoffs, but April’s schedule in particular is pretty brutal on paper as things currently stand.
The Pistons started their rise in the standings with a very strong Western Conference road trip, so let’s get things back on track on another road trip.
Game Vitals
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**Where:** Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA
**When:** Monday, March 17 at 8 pm EST
**Watch:** Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
**Odds:** Pistons (-7.5)
Analysis
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As I mentioned above, the Pelicans are probably better than their 18-50 record. They have dealt with a lot of injuries this season, including missing Zion Williamson for most of the season. They are at the point in the season where they don’t have much to play for, so players will probably be popping up with “injuries” as we reach the final few weeks of the season.
That does not guarantee that players like Zion will not play tonight, but it is a possibility given the current state of the team. But, even if the Pelicans do hold out a few players it does not ensure a win for the Pistons since they just lost to the lowly Wizards a few nights ago. Any team can win any night and you are more vulnerable when things have already not been going great the last couple weeks.
The Pistons only have 5 games remaining against teams currently under .500, including these Pelicans twice this week, so this game looms large as an important one for playoff positioning purposes. As I went over above, the Pistons are not really in danger of losing their spot on the 6th seed anytime soon, but with so few games left where they are probably favored, it is important to get out to a strong start and not let the Pelicans have a chance in this one.
If Zion Williamson plays, this game is going to be a tough game. He has missed a lot of time this season with injury, but since returning he has been phenomenal, including his first triple-double last week. Zion Williamson’s skill has never been the question, it has always been his health. I think Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren have the size and strength to slow him down a bit, but his athleticism will make things tough on them. Williamson is currently listed as a game time decision, so we will see what happens.
One player who will play and is in the midst of a breakout season is Trey Murphy III. He comes into this game averaging career-highs across the board and has been one of the lone bright spots for the Pelicans this year. He has the ability to get hot from 3 and beat you from beyond the arc, but he can also put the ball on the floor and give you problems.
It is difficult to analyze this game fully because I am unsure who all will be playing for the Pelicans, they currently have 3 of their regular starters (Kelly Olynyk, Zion Williamson, and Yves Missi) all listed as Game Time Decisions. They are also already without Herb Jones and DeJounte Murray for the rest of the season and who knows who else could randomly get held out.
The one thing I can say for certain is how important this game is for the Pistons. Cade Cunningham has not been great shooting the ball the last couple games and was thrown out against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 3rd quarter on Saturday. You can argue whether what he did warranted him getting thrown out, but he was in the midst of one of his worst games of the season before that. Cade has missed 11 threes in a row over his last two games.
This is a good matchup for him to get back on track with a backcourt of CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III, but the Pelicans also have the always pesky Jose Alvarado coming off the bench, who could give Cade some issues with ball security. But, the main thing for Cade is to just get back on track shooting, as he showed against the Wizards despite the loss, his ability to attack the basket and score inside has not been as bad as his outside shooting.
The Pistons should be able to win this game regardless of who is playing, but if the Pelicans trot out a roster with all of their regular players, this is going to be a hard-fought game.
Lineups
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[**Detroit Pistons**](https://www.detroitbadboys.com) **(37-31):** Cade Cunningham, Tim Hardaway Jr, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
**New Orleans Pelicans (18-50):** CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson, Kelly Olynyk, Yves Missi
Question of the Day
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What will the Pistons final record be?