Entering tonight’s contest at home against the Washington Wizards (1-9) on the tail end of a back-to-back, the Detroit Pistons are in prime position in the East after 10 games. Standing at 8-2, the Pistons are in first place in the Eastern Conference, and it’s the team’s best start since the 2006-07 season. 

One night ago, the Pistons took care of business on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers, dispatching the home squad by a three-point margin at 111-108. In the narrow win, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham put up 26 points, 24 of which were of the second half variety. Once again, Cunningham came alive during the key moments of Sunday night’s contest and guided the Pistons to their sixth straight victory.

Also playing an important role in Detroit’s win, Jalen Duren delivered another big double-double on the night with 21 points and 16 rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass. Duren was a force in the paint once again, and the rim was not safe from jarring slam dunks in the Pistons’ road triumph.

Injuries

Continuing a trend this season, the Pistons are far from healthy going into this Eastern Conference tilt. The Pistons were missing forwards Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris due to sprained ankles last night, and guard Marcus Sasser and Jaden Ivey both remain out for multiple weeks. To make matters worse, Pistons forward Ausar Thompson exited Sunday night’s game against Philadelphia with ankle discomfort, but the dynamic third-year player quickly returned to the contest. 

On the Washington side of the matchup, Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly’s defensive toughness will be out of the lineup against the Pistons as he battles a left calf injury. Coulibaly has missed the past two games with the injury, but he was the only Wizards player to carry an injury designation on the team’s most recent report. 

Cade Comes In Clutch: Cunningham Scores 26 As Pistons Top 76ers, 111-108 The Detroit Pistons have now won six straight games

Wizards News

With a decent sample size in the books, the Wizards are a struggling group, starting 1-9 after 10 regular season games. Last time out, Washington played at home and hung closely with the Dallas Mavericks but ultimately fell six points short at 111-105. With the loss, the Wizards moved to 0-5 at home on the season, a bleak start for a team that is out of sorts.

In the Wizards’ recent loss to the Mavs, C.J. McCollum led the way for Washington with 25 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. However, the main problem for the Wizards was that the team allowed 30 points to Dallas forward Naji Marshall off the bench.

Player To Watch: Ron Holland II

Now that Detroit has faced the challenge of playing without either Tobias Harris or Isaiah Stewart at power forward, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff opted to start Ron Holland at the four in their absence. In his first start this season last night, Holland played snug defense and scored nine points with four rebounds, two steals and an assist against the 76ers. 

READ MORE: From Worst To First: Pistons Stand Atop Eastern Conference

If Harris and Stewart remain out tonight, then it’s likely that Holland rounds out the starting lineup for Detroit. The second-year forward has earned the favor of the Pistons’ brass due to his toughness, energy and steadily-improving offensive skill set, so look for Holland to ease into his role as a high-minutes option in Detroit’s rotation. 

Prediction:  Washington Wizards 109, Detroit Pistons 126

The Wizards have not fielded a stout defense this season, and they’ve failed to win firefights with several of their opponents thus far. The Pistons are a difficult defensive unit to crack, and Detroit loves to jumpstart the fast break and to run teams into fatigue with its transition game. Given the hot streak of Cunningham and Duren lately, it seems likely that the Pistons will continue to rely on that prolific one-two punch. The Cunningham-to-Duren combo has been enough to overwhelm six straight teams, and it would not be a surprise to see that number climb to seven after tonight’s matchup. 

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