Pistons vs. Bulls preview: Final home game of this miserable season

I feel like I have been pretty negative in my previews for pretty much the whole season, which has probably gotten old at this point. But, the current state of this team has sapped any and all joy out of watching basketball.

Players have regressed, the team is not playing competitive basketball for the whole season like they said, and we don’t even get to watch all the young players finish it out down the stretch.

If there is anything to be optimistic about the final home game of the season, it is that it is against the Chicago Bulls, a team the Pistons have had more wins than losses against this season.

Game Vitals

Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
When: Thursday, April 11 at 7 pm EST
Watch: Bally Sports Detroit
Odds: Bulls (-9.5)

Analysis

When these two teams faced off to start the season, the Pistons won and improved to 2-1 and looked like a fun young team that was going to be competitive all season. Ever since that point, it has been nothing but groin kick after groin kick as we worked our way through yet another lottery-bound season that ended in December.

We were supposed to be watching Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, and Jalen Duren play competitive games down the stretch while developing chemistry as a young core. Instead, we get 3 out of the 5 of those players likely out for the season due to injury and Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren trying to win games by themselves with very little veteran help, just like last season.

If there is one thing to take solace in this game, it is the fact that the Pistons have had the Bulls’ number this season. They have won 2 out of 3 matchups so far, which is one of the only teams in the league they can say that about.

The last win was a bit of luck for the Pistons as the Bulls shot 2-of-29 from beyond the arc and still only lost by 10.

At this point in time, the Bulls don’t really have anything to play for, as they are locked into the Play-In Tournament. However, they are only 1 game up on the Hawks for the 9 seed in the tournament, so they likely still play their full rotation to ensure they can get a win and keep their spot at 9.

With the Pistons likely playing without Cade Cunningham and a large part of their rotation, even a 2-of-29 night from beyond the arc for the Bulls likely still results in a victory for them. The Pistons very well could be in this game in the 1st half, as they have been able to play competitive first halves a few times over the last couple weeks, but all it takes is a few minutes of effort by the opposing team to come out on top against the already talent-deficient and short-handed Pistons.

I am not even sure what matchups to look for in this game, as we don’t really know who will be playing for the Pistons. Jaden Ivey has gotten out of his shooting slump a bit over the last few games, so maybe he can keep that momentum going for the rest of the season and into the offseason.