It is only fitting that once the Pistons have put together a good team that has successfully risen to the top of the Eastern Conference that seemingly every player on the team has gotten hurt at the same time. Being short-handed worked out against the Washington Wizards on Monday in a thrilling overtime victory, but the Pistons might be even more short-handed with Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren also on the injury report now.
Be careful while walking today, as you might roll your ankle like every
single rotation player on the team seems to have done.
The Pistons take on a Chicago Bulls team that is much better than the Washington Wizards but also much better than anybody thought going into the season. It looked like their opening night victory over the Pistons was just a fluke, but they rode that into a 5-0 start to the season. They have since dropped 4 of their last 5 games, but they played some close games against some good teams during that stretch, like a 6-point loss to the Cavaliers and a 4-point loss to the Spurs.
A fully healthy Pistons team would probably have a tough time against the Bulls, but the version the Pistons may be trotting out tonight is going to have a tough time. At least we get to see the debut of their new “City Edition” jerseys.
Game Vitals
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
When: Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 7 pm EST
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons (-2.5)
Analysis
Both Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren popped up on the injury report after their thrilling win over the Washington Wizards on Monday. For Cunningham, it is a left hip contusion from the fall he took on the “hard foul” by Cam Whitmore in that game. Duren is yet another ankle injury for the Pistons. Both were initially listed as Probable, but Cade has since been downgraded to questionable which makes me think he is not going to play.
Ankle injuries are nothing to mess with, but with how many players are already out and with ankle injures at that, I would assume at least Duren plays at this point. The Pistons are going to need him if they have any hope at stealing this one
The Pistons current injury report is as follows: Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser, and Tobias Harris are all OUT. Isaiah Stewart is listed as doubtful, so he is very likely OUT. Cade Cunningham is questionable, which given what questionable has been this season for the Pistons and the fact he was downgraded, means he is likely OUT. Jalen Duren is probable with an ankle injury.
Luckily, Caris LeVert should be back so the Pistons at least have another warm body that isn’t a G-League player.
Josh Giddey is a game-time decision with an ankle injury for the Bulls, which could give the Pistons a little bit of hope, but I am think he will play. It should be noted that I do not have any sources to confirm this, it is just a feeling based on how every team seemingly has their best players return from injuries against the Pistons.
If Cunningham is out, I would expect Daniss Jenkins to get the start given how well he played on Monday. The 2-Way guard had a breakout game with 24 points, including two 3s in the final 4 seconds of the game, one of which sent the game to overtime. He is pretty much the only point guard on the roster at this point if Cunningham is out, so he is in-line for a ton of minutes as well.
It is difficult to do much analysis on this game given how many players could be out. If Duren does play, he will have to do a much better job guarding Nikola Vucevic on the perimeter, as that is something he has always struggled with but was particularly bad at on opening night. Vucevic is having a bit of a bounceback season for the Bulls, which has been a big reason for their solid start.
The biggest reason for the Bulls start has been Josh Giddey, who could actually find himself in the running for the All Star game with his current play plus the fact that it will now be USA vs. the World. Giddey sports averages of 21.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 9.3 assists while shooting 39% from beyond the arc. I am not sure how sustainable the shooting is for him, as that has been his weak point in his career, but he has been far and away the best player on the Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls have surprisingly solid depth, which is another reason for their solid start. Guys like Jalen Smith, Patrick Williams, Kevin Huerter, and Ayo Dosunmu are all having very solid seasons off the bench for the Bulls. Some of those guys were starting for the Bulls even just last year so now having them on the bench shows the improvement of the Bulls roster at the top.
The Pistons have proven the value of depth this season as well, and their depth will once again be tested tonight. Let’s see if they are up for the challenge like they were against the Washington Wizards.
Lineups
Chicago Bulls (6-4): Tre Jones, Josh Giddey, Isaac Okoro, Matas Buzelis, Nikola Vucevic
Detroit Pistons (9-2): Daniss Jenkins, Duncan Robinson, Javonte Green, Ron Holland, Jalen Duren
Question of the Day
Do you have concerns with the Pistons injuries lingering throughout the season or are they just fluky things that pop up during the season?
