Cover Photo Credit: David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

The Detroit Pistons (29-26) won four straight games leading into the NBA All Star break. It will be nine days between games for them when they visit San Antonio Friday night to face the Spurs. Both teams may be rusty, but it’s the Pistons that had all the momentum leading into the break. The Spurs (23-29) won only three of their last 10 games. 

Both teams have NBA All Stars leading their squads. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham leads the Pistons in scoring (25.6 points per game) and assists (9.4). Victor Wembanyama leads the Spurs in scoring (24.3), rebounds (11.0) and blocks (3.8). 

As a team, Detroit is 13th in scoring offense and 13th in defensive rating. San Antonio is 16th in scoring and 21st in defensive rating. 

Look for both teams to score over 100 points in this game unless there is shooting rust. 

If poor shooting is a problem, the Pistons have the edge in grabbing loose balls. Detroit ranks 7th in team rebounding. San Antonio ranks 12th. 

Where San Antonio has a chance is in passing the ball. The Spurs are fifth in the NBA in assists per game and are the 16th best team at preventing turnovers. Detroit is 16th in assists per game and 22nd best in preventing turnovers. 

If the Spurs create a lot of easy basket opportunities for themselves, they could win at home. They could also concentrate their defense on getting the ball out of Cunningham’s hands. 

The Spurs rank 16th in steals per game. Detroit ranks 21st. Something to keep in mind is that the next closest Piston to Cunningham in assists per game is Jaden Ivey, and he only averages four assists per game to Cunningham’s 9.4. Perhaps newly acquired guard Dennis Schroder helps in the area of dishing the rock if the Spurs do force the ball from Cunningham. 

Overall, Detroit is the better team, and they are playing for playoff position. The Pistons are sixth in the Eastern Conference, just 2.5 games out of hosting a first round series. 

San Antonio might be desperate to claw their way into the play-in bracket, but they are already four games out of the last spot. 

Watch the game at 8:30 p.m. on ABC, NBA League Pass or Bally Sports Detroit. 

Prediction: 

Detroit 115 

San Antonio 112