There was a time when the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers were fierce rivals.
Hatred for the Lakers is the birthright of Pistons fans, so tonight you have a chance to give Detroit a meaningful game.
A win would prevent them from setting a franchise record for consecutive losing streaks in a season, and most importantly beat the pesky Lakers.
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The Pistons will be shorthanded as usual, but will we see the Lakers star at Little Caesars Arena tonight?
LeBron James has played 61 games with the Pistons in his career, with a record of 40 wins and 21 losses, averaging 24 points, 7.2 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game. When his Cavaliers swept the Pistons in the first round of the 2008-9 playoffs, he ended the Pistons’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals, and Detroit never really recovered.
The Pistons haven’t won a playoff game since then, the longest drought in the NBA, and that sweep started the longest 12-game postseason losing streak in professional sports.
So it’s a good thing for LeBron James to have a night off. But does it really matter? The Pistons have lost to several teams with star players during this stretch, so if LeBron doesn’t play, expect someone else to take his place and score 50 points.
LeBron is listed as doubtful with a calf injury, while Pistons killer Anthony Davis is listed as probable with a groin/hip injury. Rui Hachimura, Jared Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent have been ruled out for the Lakers, with Cam Reddish listed as a possibility.
The Pistons will be without their big three of Bojan Bogdanovic (I keep hearing he’ll be back soon, but I haven’t seen any evidence), Joe Harris, and Monte Morris.
Bogdanovic missed the final 20 games of last season and has not played in a game this season. Unfortunately for him, he was being promoted as the savior of a team that had lost 14 straight games and had the worst record in the league. In case you’re wondering, Bogdanovic has a 3-9 record in 12 games playing alongside Cade Cunningham.
At this point, you’re witnessing potential Detroit Pistons history every night, so you can also tune in to Bally Sports Detroit at 7:00 PM ET or tune in at 950 AM. If you live outside the Detroit area, you can stream via NBA League Pass, which anyone can try for free on FUBOtv.
No matter what happens to James, you can earn an instant bonus of $200 from: Bette MGM Now! New users who bet $10 or more on the Lakers on any Pistons vs. Pistons game will receive an instant $200 bonus bet. Sign up for BetMGM now!
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