The Detroit Pistons take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the third game of the season. In the clash between two undefeated teams, one will come out victorious and take over the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Unfortunately, the Pistons will be short-handed in their trip to Philadelphia.
On Friday, Jalen Duren exited the game against the Heat in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. In the middle of the third quarter, Ausar Thompson sprained his right ankle when trying to stop Andrew Wiggins at the rim. He also went to the locker room and never returned.
This obviously put their status for the Sixers clash in jeopardy. Pistons fans were waiting for an update all weekend and finally got one.
Jalen Duren out, Ausar Thompson questionable on Sunday vs. Sixers
The Pistons announced that Duren suffered a right hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
This is a standard timetable for a hamstring injury. Whenever a player leaves a game with a hamstring injury, it's usually a two-to-three-week timeline. Anything less would have been unrealistic, especially given how tricky hamstring injuries can be.
This means that Duren will be unavailable against the Sixers. Paul Reed will presumably get the start. John Collins will get some run at center, and Tolu Smith should be in the rotation off the bench.
Thompson, on the other hand, is questionable as of the last injury update at 2:30 pm EST. Even if he misses the game, the fact that he wasn't ruled out right away should be considered a good sign. If he isn't able to go tonight, his next opportunity to suit up will be Wednesday against the Pacers. But this presumably means that he won't miss more than a game or two.
In Thompson's absence, Ron Holland would likely get an extended run as the defensive stopper on the wing. Kevin Huerter and Isaiah Joe would benefit from additional minutes as well.
Despite the injuries to two key players, the Pistons still have the health and rest advantage. The Sixers are on the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks at home on Saturday. Joel Embiid, after playing 36 minutes, will sit out against Detroit with a right plantar fasciitis injury management designation.
Adem Bona will likely get the start in Embiid's absence. The problem for them is that Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker, and Tacko Fall are also listed as out on the injury report. This leaves them very light in frontcourt depth. This could result in LeBron James playing some small-ball center.
The Pistons will benefit from having the luxury of Paul Reed to step in for Duren. This should give them a solid chance against the Sixers. Improving to 3-0 by defeating yet another East contender should give the Pistons a ton of momentum going forward.
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