Will Cade Cunningham play in today’s afternoon tilt against the Minnesota Timberwolves? That seems to really be the only question that matters. The Pistons were missing Cunningham when they fell to the Wolves 128-117 on Feb. 3 in Detroit. In that game, Detroit was able to keep pace in a shootout with Minnesota until running out of gas in the second half. The Pistons could really use Cunningham’s offense and his defense in trying to slow down Anthony Edwards, who scored 21 points in the previous meeting.
Game Vitals
When: 3:30 p.m.
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Watch: Bally Sports Detroit
Odds: Pistons +12
Analysis
Are the Minnesota Timberwolves finally actually legitimately good? Karl-Anthony Towns seems to be settling in nicely in Chris Finch’s offense, and Finch has brought Minny’s defense from deplorable to decidedly average, which is really all they need with the kind of offense they can deliver on most (but not all) nights.
The biggest issue for the Pistons will be to simply slow these Wolves down. Minnesota sports the fourth-fastest pace in the NBA and Detroit, especially recently, has had absolutely dreadful transition defense.
The Pistons allowed the Wolves to score 23 fast break points in their previous matchup, and it’s hard to beat any team in the NBA when you’re a minus-19 in fast break points. The Timberwolves also force opponents into a high number of miscues, which is another area the Pistons can really struggle with at times.
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (12-40)
Cory Joseph, Hamidou Diallo, Saddiq Bey, Jerami Grant, Isaiah Stewart
Minnesota Timberwolves (27-25)
Patrick Beverly, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Jared Vanderbilt, Karl-Anthony Towns
Question of the Game
What would you ask Minnesota for in a package for Jerami Grant?