Crowd erupts as Cade Cunningham introduced as starter in Pistons return
Fans at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit react as Cade Cunningham is introduced as a starter for the Pistons in his first game back from injury on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
With 60 wins on the line, it looks like the Detroit Pistons are going for it.
The final NBA games of the season will take place on Sunday, April 12, with all 30 teams in action for their 82nd game of the season. Every team in the East starts at 6 p.m. and every team in the West starts at 8:30 p.m. to avoid manipulating the standings.
The Pistons don’t need to do any maneuvering in the standings, as they’ve long locked up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but after Cade Cunningham missed an extended period with a collapsed lung, the team has been using the final games as a tune-up for the 2026 NBA Playoffs, which has meant not sitting most of their best players.
Sunday is no different, with one exception.
All-Star center Jalen Duren is the only Pistons player listed on the availability report with an injury. He’s been ruled out due to right knee injury management.
The rest of the team seems to be a full-go, including Cunningham, as the Pistons try to win 60 games for just the third time in franchise history and first time since 2005-06.
The Pistons are big favorites against the tanking Indiana Pacers, with Detroit listed as a 14½-point favorite on the road in the season finale.
So while Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and other Pistons players are set to suit up, they might not play the whole game if the Pistons are blowing them out.
Here’s what you need to know for Sunday’s season finale:
Is Cade Cunningham playing today?
Yes. The Pistons’ superstar returned to the lineup on Wednesday, April 8 against the Milwaukee Bucks and then played on Friday, April 10 against the Charlotte Hornets, both wins. He’ll get one final chance to get his legs underneath him on Sunday, April 12 against the Indiana Pacers before the postseason starts.
Pistons vs Pacers prediction
Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press: The Pacers have every incentive to lose, and the Pistons are trying to make history. What other case do we need to make??? The Pistons, with most their stars playing early, will bludgeon the Pacers out of the gate, then take most of their best players out some time in the third quarter and roll to a huge victory in the season finale. The pick: Pistons 118, Pacers 92.
Pistons vs Pacers game time
- Matchup: East 1-seed Pistons (59-22) vs. East 14-seed Pacers (19-62).
- Date: Sunday, April 12.
- Time: 6 p.m. ET.
- Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis.
- Box score.
Pistons vs Bucks TV channel
- TV channel: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit.
- Streaming: FSND app.
- Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1) in Detroit (Pistons radio affiliates).
Pistons injury report vs Pacers
Injury updates on players on the 15-man roster.
- OUT: Jalen Duren.
- QUESTIONABLE: Wendell Moore Jr. (G-League, two-way).
Pacers injury report vs Pistons
Injury updates on players on the 15-man roster.
- OUT: Johnny Furphy, Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac.
- QUESTIONABLE: Kobe Brown, Ben Sheppard, Jarace Walker.
Pistons vs Pacers odds
- Spread: Pistons by 14½.
- Total O/U: 230½.
- Moneyline: Pistons -1100, Pacers +650.
Odds provided by BetMGM as of Sunday afternoon.
Pistons schedule
The Pistons have one final game left before the playoffs begin.
- Sunday, April 12: at Indiana Pacers.
- Tuesday, April 14: NBA Play-In Tournament begins.
- Saturday, April 18: NBA playoffs begin. (No. 1 seeds expected to play April 19.)
Watch the most recent episode of our podcast, “The Pistons Pulse,” streamed live weekly on the Detroit Free Press YouTube channel or listen wherever you get podcasts.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
