The Detroit Pistons (9-2) are the hottest team in the NBA right now.

Fresh off a dramatic 137-135 overtime thriller over the Washington Wizards, the Pistons are riding a seven-game winning streak and claim the top seed in the Eastern Conference right now. Pistons star guard Cade Cunningham posted 46 points in his triple-double performance, and powerful Detroit center Jalen Duren had another key 19-point, 14-rebound effort.

The Pistons are riding high, but the reserves are currently low. Detroit battled an extremely short bench in its narrow win over the Wizards two nights ago, and the fact that the Pistons were on the second leg of a back-to-back only served to intensify the matter. Cunningham took a spill towards the end and roughed up his back, so the Pistons were worse for wear but still found a way to gut out the victory.

Now, the Pistons will redirect their focus onto the Chicago Bulls (6-4), who have had a strong start to the 2025-26 regular season. 

The Pistons continue to sport one of the longer injury lists in the NBA. Recently, Cunningham and Duren were both added to the injury report and the pair were listed as probable. However, the Pistons have since revised that update, and Cunningham’s status has been downgraded to questionable. It is never a good sign when a player’s status shifts south the night before a game, so Cunningham’s condition will be important to monitor.

Cunningham and Duren are joined by Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris, who are all battling ankle injuries at the moment. Guards Marcus Sasser and Jaden Ivey both remain out for a longer period of time as they recover from lower body injuries, so it’s safe to say that Detroit is considerably banged up.

UPDATE: Both Cunningham and Duren have been downgraded to questionable, so it's not looking good for Detroit's dynamic duo. Duren reportedly injured his ankle on the last possession of the game on Monday in overtime. 

The Bulls, on the other hand, will be paying close attention to star guard Josh Giddey’s ankle, and he’s listed as questionable for the game. Forward Zach Collins will be out for around another week as he recovers from a broken wrist, and guard Colby White is also expected to miss Wednesday’s contest as he rehabs a calf injury. 

The Chicago Bulls started the season off hot with five consecutive wins, but the team’s form has slipped since then. Recently, the Bulls, now 6-4, ceded the top spot in the Eastern Conference to the Pistons in a move that underscores just how competitive the Central Division is going to be this season. The Milwaukee Bucks are not far behind, so whoever walks away with the Central crown will be battle tested before heading into the postseason. 

Though Chicago is currently on a three-game skid, the Bulls’ losses have all been to quality teams in San Antonio, Cleveland and Milwaukee. In their most recent game, a four-point defeat to the Spurs, the Bulls had a trip of 20-point scorers in Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones and Ayo Dosunmu, but nobody was able to grab hold of the game late.

Simply put, the Pistons are not healthy at all right now. This choice is being made under the presumption that Cunningham does not play tonight since his status was recently downgraded. If Cunningham is able to lace ‘em up, Duren’s influence will still be paramount to the Pistons’ success, but if Cade is not able to go then JD is going to need to have a truly dominant performance on both ends of the court for Detroit. 

READ MORE: Detroit Pistons Center Jalen Duren Appears On NBA Today To Talk Hot Start

This season, Duren has worked effectively in the pick and roll with Cunningham, and he’s posting career-high numbers at over 19 points and 12 rebounds per game. Duren would only serve to be an even larger target for the Pistons if Cunningham is not healthy enough to play against Chicago on Wednesday.

This game will tell a lot early on depending on who is able to play for the Pistons. If Cunningham and Duren can both play for Detroit, then look for the Pistons to put up a fight as they attempt to extend their winning streak to eight games. If one or both are not healthy enough to suit up, then it might be a long night at the office for Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, though he’s done a quality job in leading Detroit up to this point considering the club sits at first place in the Eastern Conference.

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