Victor Wembanyama had 21 points and six blocks, while Cade Cunningham was held to 16 in his last outing.
The Detroit Pistons (45-15, 1st in the Eastern Conference) look to mend their 114-103 defeat at the San Antonio Spurs (44-17, second in the Western Conference) on Feb. 23 when the teams meet Thursday in the Alamo City.
Here are three key storylines you should know heading into tonight’s showdown:
1. Can the Spurs neutralize? Cade Cunningham again? With just over a month left in the 2025-26 season and the Pistons atop the East, Cunningham has rightfully earned the No. 3 spot on Shaun Powell’s most recent list. Kia MVP Ladder. However, the 24-year-old superstar didn’t have the kind of performance we’re used to seeing in the first matchup against the Spurs, while Victor Wembanyama (21 points, 17 rebounds, 6 blocks), who ranks No. 4 in Kia’s Most Valuable Player rankings, was spectacular. Cunningham finished with 16 points on 5-of-26 shooting (19.2%) and a -18 plus-minus rating in 35 minutes. The shooting efficiency is the second-worst output of the season for Cade, and the plus-minus is his worst in 54 appearances. Expect the two-time NBA All-Star to be in attack mode and closer to his season averages of 25.2 pages per game and 45.7% from the field.
2. Physicality and intensity in defense: The first battle between these tenacious teams was an absolute dogfight, and it’s fair to anticipate the same kind of energy in the second round. Although both teams have top 10 offenses, it is underway the defensive side of the ball where they really set the tone for how they want to play. Detroit is second with a defensive rating of 108.4while San Antonio is in third place with 110.0. The Pistons are fourth in rebounds (46.3 role-playing games), first in robberies (10.6 speeds) and blocks (6.4 bpp), and the Spurs are third in rebounds (46.5), 22nd in steals (7.8) and seventh in blocks (5.4). Keep an eye on paint points from both sides, as Detroit had a significant advantage in that area (62-44) even though San Antonio allowed the seventh-fewest points in the paint (46.6) this season.
3. Road warriors happy to be home: When this contenders’ contest begins, it will have been 26 days since the Spurs’ last home game was played at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. They had two home games in Austin, Texas, after the All-Star break, but will be happy to face a tough Detroit opponent to start a six-game homestand. However, the long road trip gave this group the opportunity to gain confidence in hostile environments. In their last 13 games (eight of them on the road), the Spurs are 12-1, the best record in the NBA, and remain undefeated in 11 February outings.. During this stretch, they are the first to score (122.5 pages per game), assists (31.5 points per game), blocks (7.2 points per game), field goals made (45.4) and plus-minus (+13.4), in addition to ranking first in DEFRTG (105.2), net rating (14.0) and effective field goal percentage (57.5). Detroit will no doubt be hungry to prove that their loss to San Antonio ten days ago was a blip, but no matter who wins the rematch, basketball fans have it written all over them.