DETROIT – The NBA is reaching its climax, as fewer than five games remain before the playoffs begin.
Most of the headlines will focus on the NBA Play-In Tournament between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference as teams vie for a top-10 seed with the chance to secure a playoff birth.
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But the Detroit Pistons don’t have to worry about that as they’ve clinched a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference after taking down the Toronto Raptors 117-105 inside Scotiabank Arena.
--> Detroit Pistons clinch first playoff spot since 2018-19 season with win over Raptors
The Pistons are one game up on the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 5 seed, sitting at 43-34 after taking down the Raptors Friday (April 4).
The victory put the Pistons two games back in the win column of the No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers (45-31), who they’ll potentially face in the first round if the ball falls their way.
The Pistons have been without All-Star guard Cade Cunningham due to a calf injury.
#DetroitPistons head coach #JBBickerstaff spoke about the team’s upcoming West Coast trip, team suspensions, unity among players and the injury status of All-Star #CadeCunningham 🏀.
— Brandon L. Carr (@Carrpediem21) April 2, 2025
Here is some footage we shot prior to their OKC matchup on ESPN.
Read: https://t.co/Q3baWS0Bjh pic.twitter.com/wln7norlo8
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke to Local 4 on Tuesday (April 1) about Motor Cade’s health, calling him day-to-day, saying he was getting better ahead of the playoffs.
--> Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff talks suspensions, team unity, and West Coast road trip
They’ve been playing without Jaden Ivey, who suffered a broken left fibula on Jan. 1, 2025.
The Pistons were also without Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland II, and Marcus Sasser, who were suspended for their roles in the brawl with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Holland II and Sasser returned in their road victory over the Raptors.
Tobias Harris is also out and dealing with a right heel injury.
Stewart was suspended for two games, so he will return to the lineup on Saturday (April 5) when they’ll play host to the Memphis Grizzlies inside Little Caesar Arena.
| Detroit Pistons’ remaining schedule | Milwaukee Bucks’ remaining schedule |
|---|---|
| Beat Raptors 117-105 on April 4 | Miami Heat April 5 at 8 p.m. Road |
| Memphis Grizzlies April 5 at 7 p.m. Home | New Orleans Pelicans April 6 at 8:30 p.m. Road |
| Sacramento Kings April 7 at 7 p.m. Home | Minnesota Timberwolves April 8 at 8 p.m. Home |
| New York Knicks April 10 at 7 p.m. Home | New Orleans Pelicans April 10 at 8 p.m. Home |
| Milwaukee Bucks April 11 at 7 p.m. Home | Detroit Pistons April 11 at 7 p.m. Road |
| Milwaukee Bucks April 13 at 1 p.m. Road | Detroit Pistons April 13 at 1 p.m. Home |
The Pistons will finish the regular season with four of the remaining five regular-season games at home.
Although they’ll have home cooking, their opponents are all playoff teams, including two games against the Bucks at the end of the season, which just so happens to be a back-to-back home and away split.
The good news is that the Bucks play three of their final six games on the road. The bad thing is they play the New Orleans Pelicans twice, and they’ll play the final game of the season at home vs. Detroit.
Although All-Star guard Damian Lillard is out for the remainder of the season with blood clots, the Bucks still have former NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been a terror against the Pistons.
Well, he’s been terrorizing the league as he just came off a historic triple-double with 35 points, 20 assists, and 17 rebounds for his eighth of the season.
If the season comes down to those two games then Detroit has to make up some ground as the Bucks beat them twice this season already.
Looking at the schedule, the Pistons will need to be up at least three games heading into the final two games at the end of the season to secure the No. 5 seed and avoid the Knicks in the first round.
