The Detroit Pistons wrapped up a magical 2025 and face 2026 with the priority to make it even better. That won’t be easy for a team that already finds itself at the top of the Eastern Conference. However, when you listen to this team talk, it is clear that their sights are set high and they are not settling for the complacency of “just happy to be here.” They want a top seed, they want to go beyond, far beyond, the first round of the playoffs, and they want to make sure the rest of the NBA understands that Detroit is not going anywhere for a good long while. Their first test will be the Miami Heat, a muddled team with intriguing pieces, a very good defense, and a great coach still trying to understand if they can get all the pieces to fit together. Though they’ve won three in a row, the challenge is establishing a coherent identity on offense. Without the instant firepower of Tyler Herro, it’s proved to be difficult to put so much on the shoulders of Norm Powell with assistance from the big man duo of Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware.
Detroit will again be without veterans Caris LeVert and Tobias Harris, and the Harris injury is starting to sound like something that might be a longer-term issue, but more official information should be coming within the next day or so. That creates more consistent opportunities for the likes of Marcus Sasser and Ron Holland to show they belong on the floor. In either case, neither plays a boring brand of basketball.
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Both the Pistons and the Heat thrive courtesy of defense, want to live in the paint, and get out on the break. That means there might be big runs, long scoring droughts, and an inability for either side to truly put the other team away. Sounds stressful!
Game Vitals
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -4.5
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (25-8)
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren
Miami Heat (18-15)
Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware
