The Detroit Pistons could have the good fortune of opening and closing their pre-season schedule at the friendly confines of Little Caesars Arena
At this point in the offseason, most teams across the NBA are fine-tuning their plans for the next month or so until the 2026-27 campaign kicks off in earnest. For the Detroit Pistons, that means ultimately reaching a conclusion to Jalen Duren’s restricted free agency contract discussions before the squad reconvenes for training camp next month, but other details about the team’s early-season process have started to trickle out.
Within the last week, the Toronto Raptors announced their pre-season schedule would include an Oct. 16 matchup with the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, an exhibition contest that is likely to serve as the group’s home finale before embarking on the regular season. Last year, the Pistons played in four pre-season games but the Raptors released a five-game schedule, so that will be one detail to watch out for moving forward.
Along those lines, the Phoenix Suns are reportedly set to begin their training camp in late September before encountering a pre-season opener with the Pistons on the docket for Monday, Oct. 5.
If that holds true, then the Pistons are just over two months away from opening up their pre-season against the Western Conference foe, though the matchup is expected to take place in the Motor City.
With Oct. 5 and Oct. 16 serving as the two Detroit pre-season benchmarks at this point in time, the Pistons would still have enough time to participate in three more pre-season games if the team flexes to a five-game format for the 2026-27 season like the Raptors are doing.
Last season, the Pistons and Suns only squared off twice, although both battles came within a 14-day stretch back in January with both Detroit and Phoenix claiming a victory. Initially, the Pistons hosted the Suns on Jan. 15 and edged out a three-point victory, 108-105, where Duren dominated the matchup with 14 points and 18 rebounds. But two weeks later, the Suns were able to defend home court for an emphatic 18-point win in a game where Cade Cunningham struggled to shoot efficiently from the field, whereas Dillon Brooks fed off the matchup’s tension and went off for a 40-point performance to tilt the score in Phoenix’s favor.
Despite playing just two games head-to-head last season, the Pistons and Suns squared off at the Summer League last month, so there should be some familiarity among the squads, especially considering the roster carryover from Summer League players to the pre-season. In that setting, the Suns started hot and finished strong to cement a 100-88 win over Detroit to knock the Pistons down to 1-3 in the Summer League overall, but big man Isaac Jones was able to log an 18-point, 10-rebound performance in the double-digit loss.
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