For today, you can count on the Pistons as a wicked squad since there’s no rest for the wicked, and Detroit will aim to defend their home court against the Golden State Warriors in a 7 pm tip-off on the second leg of a back-to-back. 

Last night, the Pistons finished off the final matchup of their two-same stint in the nation’s capital with a 117-95 victory without Cade Cunningham or Isaiah Stewart in the lineup. The former is out with a collapsed lung, while the latter is dealing with a strained left calf, so neither were available for the Eastern Conference showdown on Thursday night.

But even without that firepower and leadership, the Pistons persevered towards their second straight victory and Jalen Duren’s fourth consecutive double-double in the same process. Duren scored 24 points with 11 rebounds in Detroit’s win last night just one game after setting a new career-high of 36 points against the Wizards on Tuesday. So, the Pistons are moving on as best they can without their floor general for the next two weeks at the minimum according to recent communication from the team. 

The Warriors, on the other hand, had a day off to rest up after their 120-99 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. In that contest, Golden State was undermanned without Steph Curry in the lineup, and two bench players (Pat Spencer and Gary Payton II) tied for a team-high with 14 points, which quite plainly illustrates the Warriors’ scoring struggles without Steph. 

As a team, Golden State was outrebounded by a 10-board margin, and the Celtics had a much more efficient night at the free throw line. Both of those areas combined to put the Warriors in a fourth quarter hole that they couldn’t climb out of against the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 squad. 

This season, the Warriors play a high-octane brand of basketball, checking in at a top-five position for assists, steals and three-pointers per game with some of the NBA’s highest passing totals on a nightly basis. It’s safe to say the Warriors sling the rock around in search of clean looks from the perimeter, and it’s a playstyle they’re much more successful with when Curry is in the lineup. 

From a wide perspective, the Warriors are just under .500 at 33-36 on the season, and head coach Steve Kerr recently said that the team is heading for a play-in game with regards to the postseason. So, the Warriors are still fighting for something at this stage in the year, unlike many squads the Pistons have run up against recently. 

After avoiding serious injury woes for most of the season, the Pistons are currently without both Cunningham and Stewart for the time being. For the former, Detroit’s All-Star point guard has a collapsed lung that is currently drawing the concern of Motown fans far and wide with the postseason just around the corner. For the latter, Beef Stew is working to recover from a recent calf strain, and he’s much closer to returning than Cunningham is at the moment. 

Additionally, Duren left the Wizards' game in the third quarter last night but returned to the bench for the fourth, though he did not reenter the game with Paul Reed having a strong game. Afterwards, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the team would check with JD, although he was not under the impression that Duren had "any problems."

In terms of the Warriors’ health situation, Steph Curry is dealing with a knee injury that is expected to sideline the multi-MVP until the end of the month, while Seth Curry is currently out with a left adductor strain of his own. Moses Moody and Al Horford are both unavailable tonight with moderate injuries, then Jimmy Butler is shut down for the rest of the year after having ACL surgery in February. 

With Cunningham set to miss at least a couple weeks, the Pistons have placed a heap of responsibility on Daniss Jenkins’ plate as the team’s de facto starting point guard right now. Last night, Jenkins had a rough nine-point game with a 3-for-16 mark from the field, and the Pistons will likely need stronger performances than that to keep the first seed in the East moving forward. Check out this visual from Dynatyze that shows how Jenkins has performed without Cunningham in the lineup this year: 

The Dynatyze graphic above outlines how Jenkins has acquitted himself as a scorer since entering the lineup for regular playing time at the start of the year. As shown, Jenkins had a hot start throughout November before cooling off after that time, but the Pistons have asked for Jenkins to contribute more than just microwave scoring off the bench. Instead, Detroit has worked to bring Jenkins along as a reliable creator in the pick and roll on offense while offering stout defense in Cunningham’s absence, so Jenkins has a lot of two-way duty when he takes the floor for the Pistons, just as Cade does. 

Since Curry is not slated to play tonight, Draymond Green will be a player to keep an eye on– for multiple reasons. Of course, Green is a noted defensive menace and has the reputation as an instigator across the league, so watch out for the battle between Green and Ron Holland when the two share the court tonight. Holland was a part of a skirmish last night with the Wizards, and so the second-year forward has kept his intensity ramped up to the limit even in the latter part of the regular season. 

But apart from Green’s physicality, the Michigan State product is a connective piece of the Warriors’ squad that has his imprint all over the team’s defensive rotations and offensive continuity. Green has been a Warrior longer than anyone not named Steph at this point, and Kerr trusts the wiley vet to direct the attack when need be. 

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