Nets vs. Pistons preview: Best vs. worst in the East

DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 27: Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons celebrates during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 27, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User

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What is the story about?

The streak continues. The Brooklyn Nets completed their two game mini series against the Miami Heat on Thursday night. The Nets put forth good effort, but it wasn’t nearly enough to get the win as Miami handed Brooklyn their tenth consecutive defeat.

The opponent tonight is sitting on top of the Eastern Conference for the first time in a long time. The Detroit Pistons have been one of the biggest stories of the NBA season as JB Bickerstaff’s club has exceeded every expectation possible. They have a beeline

on the number one seed in the East come postseason time and have an outside chance of capturing best overall record. They didn’t help their cause after losing to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.

Where to follow the game

YES Network on TV. Gotham Sports on streaming. WFAN on radio. Tip after 6 PM.

🤕 Injuries

Egor Dëmin is out. The three two-ways and Drake Powell remain with Long Island. This is the last game for Grant Nelson under his initial 10-day contract. The Nets can renew him for another 10 days.

Ausar Thompson is out. Cade Cunningham is questionable while Jalen Duren is probable.

🏀 The game

Detroit won the first meeting in November and second in February. These teams wrap the season series up next week.

Cade Cunningham is in a bit of a slump. The star guard has shot under 50 percent from the field in each of the past three games. It happens to everyone over the course of 82 games, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Cade can make his life a bit easier by getting back to the free throw line. He’s getting to the free throw line at the highest rate of his career and remains one of the league leaders in drives to the rim. When games slow down and get choppy late, being able to get points any way possible takes on even more importance. Having a guard who can get their own shot and make something happen every time they have the ball is so valuable, and Pistons fans are lucky to have a franchise guard as good as Cunningham.

Although Michael Porter Jr isn’t competing for a championship for the first time in a good while, his habits and effort stand out. He’s got a fan in Jordi Fernandez, and the way MPJ is conducting himself is part of what makes a winning franchise once they return to contention:

“… when I see Mike so engaged, and then when he thinks about rebounding, about cutting, and playing as far as he can defensively, then shots go in. I thought he was aggressive. I was very happy with the game he played. That’s the Michael that the group needs, because he brings so much good energy and the level of play of a very, very, very good player, a top player in the NBA.”

Effort is all you can ask for, and as long as you’ve got that, you’re off to a good start.

The Pistons have a roster of bruisers, which has helped them to the best offensive rebound rate in the Eastern Conference. When your guys can consistently get second and third chance opportunities, you wear the opponent down and get easy opportunities to score. Possessions become even more valuable in a close game, and being able to create a bunch more by outworking your opponent on the boards can demoralize them.

Most concerningly for the Nets, the Pistons have a propensity to force a bunch of turnovers. Detroit is first in opponent’s turnover rate and Brooklyn has the second worst turnover rate this year. One bad stretch can turn a close game into a blowout in a hurry.

👀 Player to watch: Jalen Duren

When you enter title contention, the questions you face are different. It’s no longer a question of if you’re good, but now you have to ask how far your team can go. And that is answered in part by how good your secondary star is. We know Cunningham is going to get his shots and make plenty of noise in the playoffs. For the Pistons, Jalen Duren’s play will determine how far they can go. He made the All-Star game for the first time in his career, and it was an incredibly well deserved honor. What’s different about his game this year is he’s more involved in the offense and is stretching his game out to around 10 feet. He’s evolved to being more than an elite rim running big, and that desire to get better combined with his success makes him someone to keep an eye on.

We mentioned the new questions the Pistons face now that they’re contenders, and Duren’s ability to be a good secondary option is something on our mind. From Austen Flores of Detroit Bad Boys:

“We saw how defenses sold out to stop Cunningham in last year’s playoffs, and he’ll be an even bigger focal point this time around. If Duren can consistently punish that attention — not just as a finisher, but as someone who can initiate offense — it changes Detroit’s ceiling.

The challenge? There aren’t many bigs who can truly function as a No. 2 without any perimeter game. Whether Duren can bend that rule may end up being one of the defining questions of Detroit’s postseason run.“

It’ll be fun to see how he and the team does.

Nic Claxton will have to do his best to keep Duren off the glass. Duren is fourth in the NBA in offensive rebounding this season, and will consistently create trouble on the inside. For Claxton, a game like this will provide a great test and work as a measuring stick of sorts. As Brooklyn works to find its place in the future, knowing that you have a good center that can match up against some of the league’s best will make roster building a lot easier for Brooklyn.