The Pistons will face off against the Grizzlies for the first this season and they will be a bit short-handed.
The Pistons and Grizzlies both enter this game on a high note. For the Pistons, it was a buzzer beater shot by Jaden Ivey to steal a win against the Toronto Raptors . For the Grizzlies, it is a three game winning streak.
If there is a silver lining to facing a Grizzlies team that is already better than the Pistons and riding a winning streak, it is the fact that they will be without Ja Morant and Zach Edey. However, the Pistons will likely still be without Cade Cunningham, listed as doubtful, and may also be without Tobias Harris, who is listed as questionable.
Given that this is the least favorable game for the Pistons the rest of this week, it is probably worth holding out those two so they are healthy against the Pacers on Friday and 76ers on Saturday.
Game Vitals
Where: FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN
When: Wednesday, November 27 at 8 pm EST
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Memphis (-8.5)
Analysis
I am going to assume for the analysis of this game that Cade Cunningham will not play and Tobias Harris will play. Generally, when guys are doubtful it means that they are not going to play so I won’t assume that Cade surprises us and plays. The Pistons are 1-1 without Cade this season, but an already poor offense has been even poorer without him. The Pistons scored 100 points against the Orlando Magic on Saturday and only managed 102 against the Raptors in the thrilling win on Monday.
They have only averaged 109.4 points per game on the season, so this isn’t a significant drop-off, but the offense is notably struggling without their starting point guard. Jaden Ivey was masterful against the Raptors, but was less effective against the Magic. The main issue is not having a reliable point guard behind Ivey since he has been the backup point guard for the majority of the season when Cade has been healthy.
The Pistons already needed a veteran point guard to help take some of the creation pressure off Ivey and Cade in end-of-game situations, and that need is exacerbated when they are playing without one of the two of them.
Speaking of point guards, the Grizzlies will be without their starting point guard, Ja Morant, who did play in their last game but is easing himself back from an injury. The Grizzlies have gotten used to playing without Morant the last couple seasons, so I would not expect them to miss much of a beat without him. They are obviously a better team with Morant playing, but they have plenty of offensive punch without him with guys like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane.
Memphis has a ton of depth and solid wings on their bench as they are able to pull solid wing players out of thin air, a skill I wish the Pistons had. They are currently without two of their better wings in GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr, but it hasn’t really mattered so far since they can just tap into Santi Aldama and Jake LaRavia.
One of their standouts this season has been rookie Jaylen Wells. He was the 39th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and is in the early conversation for Rookie of the Year. He enters this matchup averaging 12.1 points per game and is yet another find by the Memphis front office, which has found a lot of solid players without premium picks over the years.
Wells has been more impressive than their 1st round pick, Zach Edey, who will be out with an ankle injury. Having no Edey isn’t a huge deal as they have 7’1” shooter, Jay Huff, to fill in for him. The amount of NBA-level rotation players the Grizzlies have on their roster is kind of insane. They are lacking a bit in the high-end offensive stars that can carry you in the playoffs, but it is tough to find a ton of rosters in the NBA with as much depth as the Grizzlies.
Because of that depth and the fact that Cade Cunningham probably won’t play, it is tough to see the Pistons winning this one. But, because they were able to steal a win against the Raptors on Monday, it lowers some of the importance of this game since the Pistons won’t be trying to avoid a possible 5-game losing streak.
Lineups
Detroit Pistons (8-11): Jaden Ivey, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Memphis Grizzlies (11-7): Scotty Pippen Jr, Desmond Bane, Jaylen Wells, Jaren Jackson Jr, Brandon Clarke
Question of the Day
How many times have you re-watched Jaden Ivey’s buzzer beater?