Detroit — For the first time in three years, the Detroit Pistons will start the regular season away from Little Caesars Arena — and in a warm-weather locale.
The Pistons will open the 2023-24 season with a road trip on Oct. 25 against the Miami Heat, the defending Eastern Conference champions, the NBA announced on Thursday. The game marks the first road opener for the Pistons since the 2020-21 season, when they visited the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It’s a formidable challenge for the re-tooled Pistons, who return a youthful roster, featuring Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson — the athletic, playmaking-wing drafted with the fifth pick in June’s draft. The Heat were overmatched in last season’s NBA Finals by the Denver Nuggets, despite the efforts of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Detroit’s home opener is set for Oct. 28, when it hosts the Chicago Bulls, its longtime division rival, in what should be a highly anticipated matchup at LCA.
Last season didn’t go as planned for Detroit, after finishing 17-65 to clinch the worst record in the NBA. It was a season marred by inexperience and injuries, most notably to Cunningham, who missed 70 games due to season-ending surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left leg. As a result, Ivey and Duren were given an expedited introduction into the NBA and both had promising seasons that gave the franchise optimism for the future.
The Pistons’ schedule also includes a couple of marquee matchups against the Houston Rockets, who selected Thompson’s twin brother, Amen, with the fourth-overall pick. The first matchup between the Rockets and Pistons will be on New Year’s Day, when Detroit visits Houston. The Rockets will come to Little Caesars Arena for a rematch on Jan. 12 on ESPN.
The defending-champion Nuggets will visit Detroit on Nov. 20. LeBron James, who became the league’s all-time leading scorer last season, will return for his 21st season in the league. His Los Angeles Lakers will play in Detroit on Nov. 29.
The Pistons’ 82-game schedule features one ESPN game, at home against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 12. However, the team will appear three times on NBATV: home against the Lakers, home against the Utah Jazz on Dec. 21 and at Boston on Dec. 28.
The Pistons face the San Antonio Spurs and their No. 1 draft pick, Victor Wembanyama, on Jan. 10 at home and in the regular-season finale in San Antonio, on April 14.
The Pistons have 15 sets of back-to-back games, beginning on Oct. 27 at Charlotte and home against the Chicago Bulls the following night. They notably finish the regular season with nine of their final 11 games on the road.
In-Season Tournament
The NBA revealed four games of the Pistons’ regular season on Tuesday with the announcement of the In-Season Tournament schedule, which features games against the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.
The league’s schedule release has become an annual holiday for diehard NBA fans because it helps them properly plan gamedays, giving them specific dates on when their favorite player or team is coming to town.
Although the regular-season schedule is set, the preseason schedule is still being finalized. The preseason slate includes an early reunion between Pistons coach Monty Williams and the Phoenix Suns in a road game on Oct. 8, along with two meetings against the Oklahoma City Thunder at neutral sites. Detroit will face the Thunder in Montreal on Oct. 12 and will travel west to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a rematch on Oct. 19.
2023-24 Pistons schedule
Wed., Oct. 25 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 27 at Charlotte, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 28 vs. Chicago, 7:00 p.m.
Mon., Oct. 30 at Oklahoma City, 8:00 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 1 vs. Portland, 7:00 p.m.
Thu., Nov. 2 at New Orleans, 8:00 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 5 vs. Phoenix, 3:00 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 6 vs. Golden State, 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 8 at Milwaukee, 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 10 vs. Philadelphia*, 7:00 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 12 at Chicago, 7:00 p.m.
Tue., Nov. 14 vs. Atlanta*, 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 17 at Cleveland*, 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 19 at Toronto, 6:00 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 20 vs. Denver, 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 24 at Indiana*, 8:00 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 27 vs. Washington, 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 29 vs. L.A. Lakers, 7:00 p.m., NBATV
Thu., Nov. 30 at New York, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 2 vs. Cleveland, 7:00 p.m.
Mon., Dec. 11 vs. Indiana, 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 13 vs. Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 15 at Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 16 at Milwaukee, 6:00 p.m.
Mon., Dec. 18 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Thu., Dec. 21 vs. Utah, 7:00 p.m., NBATV
Sat., Dec. 23 at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 26 vs. Brooklyn, 7:00 p.m.
Thu., Dec. 28 at Boston, 7:30 p.m., NBATV
Sat., Dec. 30 vs. Toronto, 6:00 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 1 at Houston, 8:00 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 3 at Utah 9:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 5 at Golden State, 10:00 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 7 at Denver 8:00 p.m.
Tue., Jan. 9 vs. Sacramento, 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 10 San Antonio, 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 12 vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Mon., Jan. 15 at Washington, 3:00 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 17 vs. Minnesota, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 20 vs. Milwaukee, 3:00 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 22 vs. Milwaukee, 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 24 vs. Charlotte, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 27 vs. Washington, 12:00 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 28 vs. Oklahoma City, 6:00 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 31 at Cleveland, 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 2 vs. L.A. Clippers, 7:00 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 4 vs. Orlando, 3:00 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 7 at Sacramento, 10:00 p.m.
Thu., Feb. 8 at Portland, 10:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 10 at L.A. Clippers, 3:30 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 13 at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 14 at Phoenix, 9:00 p.m.
Thu., Feb. 22 at Indiana, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 24 vs. Orlando, 8:00 p.m.
Mon., Feb. 26 vs. New York, 7:00 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 27 at Chicago, 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 1 Cleveland, 7:00 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 3 at Orlando, 6:00 p.m.
Tue., Mar. 5 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Thu., Mar. 7 Brooklyn, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 9 Dallas, 7:00 p.m.
Mon., Mar. 11 Charlotte, 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 13 Toronto, 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 15 Miami 7:00, p.m.
Sun., Mar. 17 Miami 3:00, p.m.
Mon., Mar. 18 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 20 Indiana, 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 22 Boston, 7:00 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 24 New Orleans, 3:00 p.m.
Mon., Mar. 25 at New York, 7:30 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 27 at Minnesota, 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 29 at Washington, 7:00 p.m.
Mon., Apr. 1 Memphis, 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Apr. 3 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Apr. 5 at Memphis, 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 6 at Brooklyn, 7:00 p.m.
Tue., Apr. 9 at Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m.
Thu., Apr. 11 Chicago, 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Apr. 12 at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Sun., Apr. 14 at San Antonio, 3:30 p.m.
mcurtis@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @MikeACurtis2