NBA Makes Pistons Announcement Ahead of Magic-Wizards

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated Apr 3, 2025 1:17 PM ET

It has been a great season thus far for the Detroit Pistons as they have turned their franchise around compared to the last few seasons.

Detroit currently sits fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 42-34 record and they are just three games behind the Indiana Pacers for the fourth seed.

This is a complete turnaround from the last two seasons where the Pistons finished with the worst record in the NBA.

Of course, the Pistons are off on Thursday night before they travel to take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday, but there is still something at stake for them during Thursday’s NBA slate.

The NBA announced that the Pistons will clinch a playoff spot if the Orlando Magic lose to the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.

Postseason scenarios for Thursday, April 3 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/hsiJmCHWMv
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 3, 2025

If that were to happen, Detroit would clinch their first playoff birth since the 2018-19 season and it would be just their third playoff appearance since the 2008-09 season.

Even if the Magic do defeat the Wizards on Thursday, it is just a matter of time before the Pistons clinch a playoff spot, and they may be a sneaky team once the playoffs begin.

Of course, Detroit will need their superstar point guard Cade Cunningham healthy if they want to make a deep playoff run as he has been sidelined in their last five games due to a left calf strain.

When Cunningham has been healthy, he has been one of the best players in the NBA this season and the Pistons have almost the prefect mix of young and veteran players for them to make a potential deep run once the playoffs begin.

Despite this, they may struggle against the top teams in the East like the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, but they have but Detroit basketball back on the map this season and they have one of the brightest futures of any franchise in the NBA.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: