Trae Young can’t break Pistons fans’ hearts again, can he?
It’s fitting that the Detroit Pistons are vying for their sixth consecutive win for the first time since 2014 in Atlanta. Die-hard will remember that at midnight on July 6, 2013, they lured Josh Smith away from the Atlanta Hawks with the richest contract in franchise history. Blog dorks on the internet back then (including yours truly), argued the Pistons should have instead spent big money on fellow free agent Paul Millsap, who had seven extremely productive years in Utah. Millsap effectively replaced Smith in Atlanta for four years and made four All-Star teams. Just one year and five disastrous months after signing his contract, Smith was released by the Detroit Pistons. What does this have to do with a six-game winning streak? Because the Pistons released Smith in December with a 5-23 record and promptly won six consecutive games. It was magical.
No Pistons team has won six consecutive games since that run a decade ago. This year’s team is infinitely better than that team and has an infinitely brighter future. A winning streak now is more than a cute story or a narrative marker to delineate from 15 years of misery. It is a sign of things to come.
Game Vitals
When: 6 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -2.5
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (30-26)
Cade Cunningham, Tim Hardaway, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Atlanta Hawks (26-30)
Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Mohammed Gueye, Onyeka Okongwu