Road trip gives Detroit Pistons opportunity to recover from two-game skid
The Detroit Pistons' last two games — both losses — were also two of their most festive home games in recent memory.
Players received a hero's ovation as they marched onto the floor on 313 Day last Thursday, fresh off of a commanding 20-point win over the Washington Wizards two days prior. The Wizards were more motivated the second time around, upsetting the Pistons on their own floor, 129-125.
On Saturday, a sellout crowd greeted the Pistons with the league-best Oklahoma City Thunder in town. The crowd roared in disapproval and loudly chanted "refs you suck!" after Cade Cunningham was ejected in the third quarter during a bizarre possession that started with a loose ball foul against Isaiah Stewart, and ended with the Thunder taking five-consecutive free throw attempts.
A valiant fight followed, and the Pistons narrowed a 16-point deficit to one until MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander closed out the win for the Thunder with a series of difficult buckets down the stretch, a fitting cap to his 48-point night.
The Pistons (37-31 overall) have exceeded all expectations with 14 games remaining on the schedule and are in the mix for the fourth seed in the playoffs, competing directly against the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks. They're not immune to the typical ebbs and flows of the season, though. Thursday was a rare off night for the team as a collective, and Cunningham's surprising ejection dimmed chances of beating the best team in the league.
The two-game slide will make the Pistons' path to home-court advantage a little tougher, though. Here's where things stand with three weeks remaining in the season.
Bucks gain separation
On Saturday, the Bucks (38-28) clinched the season series against the Pacers 3-1 with a 126-119 win in Milwaukee. It was their second-straight win, and they're now in possession of the fourth-seed and two games ahead of the Pistons. The Pacers (37-29), who won the season series over the Pistons 3-1, are fifth overall and a game ahead of the Pistons.
The Pistons will close this season with back-to-back games against the Bucks — the first at Little Caesars Arena on April 11 before concluding against the Bucks in Milwaukee on April 13. Depending on where the race stands, it could give the Pistons a prime opportunity to leapfrog the Bucks, at least, in the standings.
Pistons' soft patch ahead
The Pistons embarked on a three-game road trip Sunday, facing the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, Miami Heat on Wednesday and Dallas Mavericks on Friday. They're three of the worst teams in the league — the Pelicans (18-50 overall) are the second-worst team in the West, the Heat have dropped seven-straight games after trading Jimmy Butler at the deadline and the Dallas Mavericks have imploded thanks to the Luka Doncic trade and injuries.
Only four teams in the Eastern Conference have winning records on the road: the Cleveland Cavaliers (26-6), Boston Celtics (26-7), New York Knicks (21-13) and Pistons (19-15). They've been better on the road than they've been at home (18-16), which makes this a prime opportunity to move up the standings before a handful of contenders appear on the schedule.
They'll be greeted by the Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs — who are without Victor Wembanyama and Dejounte Murray for the rest of the season — at home next week. Then they'll host the Cavaliers, who recently won 16 straight games, on March 28 before heading on the road again against the Minnesota Timberwolves (39-29 overall), Thunder (55-12) and Raptors (24-43).
They also have home games against the Memphis Grizzlies, Knicks and Sacramento Kings, all teams in the playoff race that will determine if the Pistons can gain momentum before their finales against the Bucks.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Road trip gives Pistons chance to recover from two-game skid
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