An inter-conference collision between two teams desperate to reach the playoffs happens today, Sunday, at The Palace of Auburn Hills as the Detroit Pistons host the New Orleans Pelicans.
After having a chance to hold a spot in the top eight of the Eastern Conference standings, a four-game losing streak pulled the Pistons down and are now ninth in the conference.
The recent setback was a 98–86 road loss to the Washington Wizards, although it was not all bad during the game.
Forward Tobias Harris, who was traded from the Orlando Magic ahead of the deadline last Thursday, shone for the team from Motor City. Harris led all scorers for the Pistons in his debut with the team, listing 21 points that came along with four rebounds in 30 minutes played.
Following Harris was point guard Reggie Jackson who tallied 16 points and All-Star center Andre Drummond who had 11 points and 13 rebounds in a losing effort against Washington.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans are going to the matchup versus Detroit bringing a 121–114 home win over the hapless Philadelphia 76ers.
The victory helped New Orleans win three of its last four games to better its record to 21–33, 12th in the Western Conference standings.
All-Star forward Anthony Davis performed well against the Sixers with 34 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two steals, and two rejections.
Davis received plenty of help from the bench, with forward Ryan Anderson chipping in 26 points and point guard Jrue Holiday adding 24 points with a notable 12 dimes.
The game versus the Pistons today is the first of a two-game Eastern Conference road trip for the Pelicans who will also take on the Wizards on Tuesday.
The playoff dream is not impossible for both the Pistons and Pelicans this season. However, with the regular season winding down, the margin for errors is getting smaller.
Detroit's home stand versus the Pelicans takes place today, Feb. 21, at 3:30 p.m. EST. To watch via live stream, click here.
