Detroit Jock City
Fansided

Lions' Playoff Game Just Caused Big Change to Pistons' Saturday Matchup

By Joe Summers

Jan 5, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) looks to throw the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) looks to throw the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
facebooktwitterreddit

The Lions are officially hosting the Commanders on Saturday night in the Divisional Round of the playoffs and while the entire city is seemingly focused on winning a Super Bowl, the matchup's timing did cause a change to the Pistons' planned contest.

To accommodate the NFL, the NBA announced that Pistons vs. Suns would be moved up an hour from 5:00 PM ET to 4:00 PM ET to allow time for the game to finish before the Lions play.

It's not unusual for sports leagues to make these types of decisions, though it's still an indication of how much more the city cares about this particular Lions' matchup than the Pistons'.

NFL Moves Pistons Saturday Game to Accommodate Lions vs. Commanders

After finishing 2023 with the worst record in the NBA at 14-68, the Pistons have made a major turnaround this year. They're currently the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 21-19 mark, representing a massive improvement led by rising star Cade Cunningham.

There's great reason for Detroit to be paying attention to this basketball team, yet there's obviously even more incentive to focus on the Lions. They have the best odds to win the Super Bowl at +290 at FanDuel Sportsbook ($10 to profit $29) for the first time in franchise history, so it's understandable that the city believes the Divisional Round is a tad more important than a regular NBA game.

Ticket prices are reaching absurd highs as the Lions welcome star rookie QB Jayden Daniels and his upstart Commanders squad to town. Detroit is the biggest favorite of the week at 9.5 points and -500 odds on the moneyline, suggesting the Lions shouldn't have much trouble.

This is still the playoffs though and these are still the Lions. Detroit is well-positioned to create history but fans would be forgiven for feeling slight fear entering the most important games of the season. Anything less than a Super Bowl appearance would be a disappointment, ensuring that the crowd at Ford Field will be rowdy and ready to strike fear into Washington's collective heart.

Luckily for those truly devout fans, they'll get to watch both the Pistons and Lions thanks to this news.

More Detroit Lions News and Rumors:

feed

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Home/Detroit Lions