The Detroit Pistons host the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, looking for back-to-back wins at Little Caesars Arena for the first time this season. This will be the first meeting between the two teams this season, with the second and final game to be played on April 12th.
Detroit was fresh off a thrilling 118-112 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, and the backcourt tandem of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey was a force to be reckoned with. The duo combined for 66 points, with Ivey leading the Pistons with 34 points and Cunningham right behind with 32 points.
With this win, Cunningham achieved a major career milestone, becoming the sixth player in NBA history to reach 2,500 points and 800 assists. Cunningham joins Oscar Robertson, Allen Iverson, Luka Doncic, Trae Young and LeBron James as the only players to accomplish this feat in fewer than 129 games.
Speaking of Doncic, he is currently listed as questionable for Saturday's game due to a right elbow sprain. The Slovenian-born superstar leads the NBA in scoring with an average of 34.6 points and ranks third in assists with 9.8 per game. If Doncic doesn't play, Detroit will be tasked with slowing down Kyrie Irving, who has been a thorn in the side since entering the NBA.
Irving is averaging 25.6 points, shooting 49 percent from the field, 5.1 rebounds and five assists per game. In the Mavericks' most recent win, a 114-108 victory over the Miami Heat, Irving had 23 points, four rebounds and four assists.
As of now, it looks like the Pistons will continue to be short on talent in the guard department, as Quentin Grimes (right knee injury management) is listed as questionable.
nba basketball
Detroit Pistons (10-52) vs. Dallas Mavericks (35-28)
when: Saturday, March 9th
time: 7pm ET
where: Little Caesars Arena
channel: Bally Sports Detroit
stream: FuboTV (Free Trial), DirecTV Stream
Check out NBA standings and results on NBA.com
