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[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs Wolves GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More

Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images

Pistons need a total team effort to beat Wolves without Cade

Cade Cunningham will miss his fourth consecutive game as the Detroit Pistons take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Detroit has won three in a row without their star point guard. Anthony Edwards scored 50 points in a loss the last time these teams met, and he’s been in a cold spell recently, relatively speaking. The Pistons will need a game plan to limit his effectiveness while getting contributions from up and down the roster if they want to stretch their winning streak to four straight.

Game Vitals​

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons +7

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (42-32)​

Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Minnesota Timberwolves (42-32)​

Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...rwolves-gamethread-game-time-tv-odds-and-more

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs Wolves preview: Equally matched teams with different vibes face off

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Two 42-32 teams go at it, and the Pistons are once again likely to be missing their star

No Cade Cunningham, no Tobias Harris, no problem, huh? In all seriousness, hopefully, those two are just getting right for the playoff run the Detroit Pistons plan to go on.

Cade is doubtful again tonight in what would’ve been another fun number-one overall pick duel with Anthony Edwards. Tobias Harris is probable, and assuming he does suit up, he’ll see tons of action against a player who may take his spot eventually.

Game Vitals​

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons +7

Analysis​

The Pistons are huge dogs for the second game in a row with their All-Star sidelined. Tim Hardaway Jr. and the fellas had bookies steaming after they thrashed the one-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night. You can’t bank on a 32-piece seven 3s combo from Hardaway again, but someone needs an offensive explosion to keep pace with the burning Timberwolves.

Minnesota is 10-4 over their last 14, but have dropped three of its past five. They own the No. 5 offense and No. 3 defense in that 14-game span, per PivotFade. Julius Randle, dubbed a questionable fit, has shot less while distributing and defending more as of late. He’s been a woeful playoff performer due to shot selection and defenses forcing him into uncomfortable positions, which may be offset by playing with Ant Man this year.

While facing the Timberwolves is a tough task, particularly without Cade, on pure vibes, you can’t really top what Detroit is experiencing at the moment. Winning three in a row without their star? Finally toppling the Eastern-leading Cavaliers and bolstering JB Bickerstaff’s coach of the year candidacy? Tripling their win total from one season to the next? Detroit is riding high.

That is part of why it’s such a bummer Cade is still out. But it is an even bigger bummer in this one because I love seeing him matchup with stars—young stars, in particular because they’re the future of our game. Like Cade, Anthony Edwards has made huge improvements in his game. The playmaking “leap” hasn’t quite happened, but his decisions while being double-teamed have picked up. The biggest improvement in Edwards’ game comes from beyond the 3-point line.

I never would’ve imagined Edwards would shoot 39.5% on 10(!) attempts from deep. That’s insane. It’s Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Damian Lillard stuff. Funnily enough, Edwards said he watched Lillard shooting 3s last summer, and that was the flip he needed to become an elite outside shooter. He’s a special player. Edwards is right on Malik Beasley’s heel for the 3-point crown— 286 makes for threesley - 283 for Edwards. It’s going to be a close finish.

Ausar Thompson will cover Ant; he was all over the floor against Cleveland. That’s the type of player he’ll need to be in the playoffs. This thing doesn’t work without him. We know Thompson is a versatile defender. As he ages, who knows if he’s better suited as a three or four. What I do know is the Pistons should target Timberwolves backup four to add to their nucleus.

Naz Reid will be more expensive than the $13M earned this year, as he can opt out of his player option in the summer. He’s worth more. He can play the four or five and stretch defenders out with a sugary-sweet stroke and the handle to attack closeouts. Reid is an average defender, but paired with Thompson and the ability to play with Stew or Duren won’t allow him to get exposed.

Running it back with a healthy Jaden Ivey isn’t a bad idea. Cade, Duren, Thompson, and year two Ron Holland will all be better. Throwing the speedy poison Ivey back into that mix spices things up. I’m not opposed to running it back with their young two guard back healthy, but if you want to solidify your power forward spot long term, Naz Ried is a gettable option (it’ll cost ya, but the cap is going up again).

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (42-32)​

Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Minnesota Timberwolves (42-32)​

Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert

Question of the Day​

Malik Beasley leads the league in 3s and is the 2nd option on the surprise Pistons.

Why is Payton Pritchard such a heavy 6MOY favorite? (-1050)

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...mberwolves-preview-game-time-tv-odds-and-more

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Submit your questions for The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast

Tune in live Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET to join in on the conversation.

It’s mailbag time!

Send in your questions now for this week’s episode of The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast where we’ll discuss the past week of Pistons basketball. Submit your question to the comments section here or on X/Twitter to @TheRealWesD3 and/or @blakesilverman.

Join us live on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET for the show where we’ll talk through the past week of Pistons’ basketball. Were the suspensions handed down for the Pistons-Timberwolves fight fair? What seed will the Pistons end up with in the playoffs? Who’s the most important Piston, besides Cade Cunningham, in the postseason?

Plus, The Pindown has a phone line where you can leave a message and hear your voice on the show. Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message around 45 seconds or less so we can fit everyone into the show.

The podcast will be uploaded to all audio platforms the following morning.

The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast Vitals:​

When: Thursday April 3 at 4:30 p.m. ET

Where: Detroit Bad Boys YouTube Channel

How to submit questions:

• Detroit Bad Boys Website: Comment section of the weekly Pindown episode articles.
• Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message to 45 seconds or less.
• Twitter: @detroitbadboys, @blakesilverman or @therealwesd3
• YouTube: Chat section of The Pindown live recording — Subscribe here

As always, leave any questions or topics you want to be discussed in the comment section below.

Listen to the show’s recording the following morning wherever you listen to your podcasts.

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

Last Week’s Show:​

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025/4/1/24399057/pindown-detroit-pistons-podcast

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons suspend three for fight with Wolves, all will miss OKC game

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Isaiah Stewart gets multi-game suspension because of history of discpline

The NBA handed down a two-game suspension to Isaiah Stewart and one-game suspensions to Ron Holland and Marcus Sasser for their roles in the fight between the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota’s Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo also received one-game suspensions.

The five players and two coaches, Detroit head coach JB Bickerstaff and Minnesota assistant Pablo Prigioni, were all ejected from Sunday’s game when some hard fouls led to a confrontation between Reid and Holland, which then devolved into a full-on scrum between players on both teams that trickled into the first rows of fans.

Stewart received the multi-game suspension because of his history of discipline for physical confrontations (cue clip of a bloodied Stewart barely being restrained from going after LeBron James).

The timing is unfortunate as all three Pistons will likely miss tonight’s nationally televised matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Also missing the game will be Cade Cunningham, who will sit out his fifth straight as he recovers from a left calf contusion, and the team works to ensure he is healthy for the playoffs.

Stewart previously received a one-game suspension after a hard foul against the Indiana Pacers earlier this season. Last season, which we all wish we could forget, he got suspended for three games after an in-arena confrontation with Drew Eubanks of the Phoenix Suns, which reportedly included a punch. The previous season he received a two-game suspension for the aforementioned incident against James and the Lakers.

The Pistons lost a hard-fought game to the Thunder at Little Caesars Arena in mid-March, and many were excited for the rematch. (Me, I am many). The Pistons will now be without their likely All-NBA player, best defensive center, their only backup point guard, and a rookie that has a knack for providing energy in key games.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...pend-isaiah-stewart-ron-holland-marcus-sasser

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs. Thunder GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

What could possibly go wrong in this one?

If the Oklahoma City Thunder want to reach the hallowed ground of a 70-win season, shared only by the Steph Curry Warriors and Michael Jordan Bulls, they need to win out. How much do they want that? Whose to say, but they aren’t letting up on the gas as the season winds down. They are 25-3 and winners of 10 straight. They field the likely MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Also, the Pistons are down several players tonight due to injury and suspension. Cade Cunningham is still out injured. Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland, and Marcus Sasser will miss the game with suspensions in the fallout of the fight with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

If the Pistons manage to pull off a miracle, it will be because of the excess vibes and goodwill from the first game between these two teams. In that game, the Pistons fought hard against the league’s best team. An unfriendly whistle got in the way. Cade Cunningham was ejected, the Pistons received five technicals, and Shai shot 10 free throws by himself while the Pistons shot 13 as a team. After the game, JB Bickerstaff delivered a viral rant against the officiating who called their work in the game “disgusting.”

Justice for the Pistons?

Game Vitals​

When: 9:30 p.m. ET
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Watch: ESPN
Odds: Pistons +13

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (42-33)​

Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Oklahoma City Thunder (63-12)​

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...thunder-gamethread-game-time-tv-odds-and-more

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs. Thunder preview: Very short-handed Pistons take on the best team in the league

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

What could possibly go wrong in this one?

The Pistons magic number for clinching a spot in the Playoffs and avoiding the Play-In is now down to 1. That is the good news. The bad news is that they face the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road on National TV and they will be without 3 players for sure due to suspensions from Sunday’s brawl against the Timberwolves. Those three players are Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser, and Ron Holland. They are also likely without Cade Cunnningham, who is listed as doubtful.

The injury report for Oklahoma City does not feature any of their regular rotation players which sets up the possibility of this being a very long night. I wouldn’t rule out the Pistons completely, as they did just beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday with a short-handed roster, but they at least had most of their bench rotation and the Cavaliers have been more susceptible to losing lately than the Thunder.

You have to imagine the NBA is not thrilled with Cade Cunningham missing 2 of the 3 National TV games the Pistons have had this year due to injury, especially after they added this one to the slate just a couple weeks ago. I am sure they will punish the Pistons next year by giving them no National TV games.

Game Vitals​

Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
When: Wednesday, April 2 at 9:30 pm EST
Watch: ESPN
Odds: Thunder (-13.5)

Analysis​

As I said above, the Pistons will likely be without Cade Cunningham and will for sure be without Marcus Sasser, Isaiah Stewart, and Ron Holland due to suspension. I would anticipate Tobias Harris returning after he was a late scratch on Sunday, but Cade was also a late scratch a week ago and has now missed every game since.

Beating the Oklahoma City Thunder at full strength was already going to be a very difficult task for the Pistons with a healthy rotation, but missing their best player along with two regular bench rotation players makes the task nearly impossible.

Any team can win any night, but as we saw against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday after the dust up and ejection of players, the Pistons are not equipped to handle the loss of this many rotation players at once. They were pretty much run off the court after the fight and that was against a Minnesota team that is not as good as the Thunder to begin with and also lost a couple of players from the fight.

The Pistons looked gassed as they were forced to shorten their rotation and play guys way more minutes than they are used to.

The Pistons were able to hang tough with the Thunder in the last matchup, but ultimately could not overcome a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 48 point masterclass. The team had no answer for him defensively and when it looked like they might steal the game in the 4th quarter, he was able to takeover and slam the door shut. That was also a Thunder team without Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who will both be playing tonight.

If there is one thing the Pistons have going for them, they will still have Ausar Thompson to throw at SGA, who is probably the closest they have to a “Shai Stopper” on the roster. The Pistons had Thompson in the last matchup and we saw how that worked out, but he is still the best equipped to handle him. But, the minutes without Ausar could get ugly as the Pistons will be forced to throw some combination of Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Malik Beasley at him.

The loss of Isaiah Stewart is big, but Paul Reed is more than capable of filling in for him. The biggest problem is actually going to be the loss of Marcus Sasser because the Pistons will once again likely be without Cade. With a healthy Cade Cunningham, Marcus Sasser isn’t even a part of the rotation, but without Cade, he is the only other player on the roster capable of handling the ball. This means that Dennis Schroder is going to be relied on for a lot of minutes with little ball handling help and you may even see two-way guard Daniss Jenkins get some playing time since he is the only other healthy point guard on the roster.

I don’t want to overreact to Cade’s injury, but him not playing in a game in which the Pistons are missing 3 rotation players leads me to be a bit more concerned about his injury than I was before. The Pistons were winning games without him, so keeping him out longer to rest up made sense, but if there was a time to play him, it would be in this game given all the circumstances.

At the end of the day, this is probably a loss regardless of whether Cade plays, but having him miss National TV games at the end of the season with a shortened rotation is a bit of a concern.

Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (42-33): Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Oklahoma City Thunder (63-12): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein

Question of the Day​

How concerned are you about Cade Cunningham’s injury?

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2025...-best-team-in-the-league-2024-2025-nba-season