Detroit Pistons Release First Round Playoff Schedule

Last night’s overtime play-in affair between the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat proved that the postseason will be chock-full of surprises, but there’s still several details that still need to be sorted out. Chiefly, the Pistons’ first round opponent is still unknown at this time with the Hornets set to battle it out with the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic. Whoever takes that contest will earn the right to face Detroit in the first round, and the Pistons now have released even more detail about their playoff matchup. 

Earlier today, the Pistons announced the dates and times of their first four games in the postseason along with three prospective dates for games five through seven if they’ll be needed. 

Based on this timeframe, the Pistons are tabbed to host the first two games of the playoff series, game five and game seven at Little Caesars Arena if the series extends that far. 

Last season, the Pistons opened up their doors for games three, four and six against the New York Knicks in a heated matchup that spelled a first-round exit for the Motor City hoopers. But this time around, Detroit is looking to use that initial postseason experience as fuel during another playoff foray. 

In terms of their opponent, the Pistons still do not have confirmation on which Eastern Conference team they will face once their postseason journey officially begins. Since the Hornets won last night, they are still eligible to wind up in the No. 8 seed. Over the course of the 2025-26 season, the Pistons turned in a peerless 3-0 record against Charlotte with an average margin of victory set at 16.66 points per game, so the results from this season would strongly favor Detroit leading into that potential clash. 

Apart from the Hornets, the Pistons could possibly face either the 76ers or the Magic depending on how the rest of the play-in round shakes out. Detroit split their season series against Orlando with two victories apiece during the regular season, but the squad fared much better with a 4-0 mark versus Philadelphia up until now. 

While those numbers are positive indicators for the Pistons, they should not be all that surprising considering Detroit stood in first place of the Eastern Conference for nearly the entire year before eventually reaching the 60-win threshold on the final day of the regular season. 

“It just is a sign of the work that’s been done by everybody who’s a part of this– front office, coaching staff, players, medical staff, everybody that’s touched these guys and helped them with that consistency, with that effort,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after Detroit’s regular season finale. “But I think it’s a group thing. Everybody who’s been a part of it should be celebrated for it, but again, like you said, our work’s not done and that’s the mentality that we have. But there is an appreciation and respect for all the work everybody’s put in to help us get here.”

The Pistons know their work is not done. On the contrary, Bickerstaff and his team have a heightened sense of awareness that comes with playoff basketball, and the Pistons will have an opportunity to put that on display this Sunday, April 19 at 6:30 pm on NBC.

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