BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Guardians -179, Tigers +150; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Cleveland Guardians host the Detroit Tigers with a 2-1 series lead.
Cleveland has a 61-40 record overall and a 33-14 record at home. The Guardians have gone 45-6 in games when they scored five or more runs.
Detroit has a 50-53 record overall and a 26-29 record in road games. The Tigers have gone 23-4 in games when they hit two or more home runs.
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The teams match up Thursday for the 11th time this season. The season series is tied 5-5.
TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Naylor has 16 doubles, 22 home runs and 72 RBI while hitting .237 for the Guardians. Jose Ramirez is 10-for-40 with two doubles and a home run over the last 10 games.
Riley Greene has 21 doubles, five triples and 17 home runs for the Tigers. Matt Vierling is 13-for-40 with six doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Guardians: 4-6, .200 batting average, 3.10 ERA, outscored by 16 runs
INJURIES: Guardians: Sam Hentges: 15-Day IL (undisclosed), Matthew Boyd: 15-Day IL (elbow), Shane Bieber: 60-Day IL (elbow), Trevor Stephan: 60-Day IL (elbow), James Karinchak: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
Tigers: Kerry Carpenter: 60-Day IL (spine), Reese Olson: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Parker Meadows: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Casey Mize: 15-Day IL (hamstring), Sawyer Gipson-Long: 60-Day IL (groin)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Analyzing Ausar Thompson’s development this season
Omari, Bryce, and friend of the pod Laz Jackson talks Ausar Thompson’s developments of offense this year.
The Pistons’ success can be attributed to their strong defense and team chemistry.
This season marks a significant turnaround for the Pistons, who had a franchise-worst 14 wins last season.
Key players like Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren have contributed to the team’s success.
TORONTO — All season, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the Detroit Pistons have taken a game-by-game approach. They have stacked milestone win after milestone win amid one of the best rebuilding seasons in NBA history, and haven’t taken much time to acknowledge it.
The celebrations, for the most part, have been muted.
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“Our guys are focused on night in and night out,” Bickerstaff said on March 28, after his team snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Cleveland Cavaliers to clinch the franchise’s first winning record since 2015-16. It has been a common refrain for him, whenever he’s been asked about the team’s success: “I did not know that was a thing. I don’t know if our guys did or not. Our guys just focus on the task at hand and that’s where we’ve been able to find consistency.”
BEEF STEW: Isaiah Stewart is what Pistons have been missing since last playoff win — 17 years ago
Friday was different, though. The Pistons (43-34) pulled off their most significant regular-season win in nearly two decades, clinching a top-six playoff seed for the first time since 2008 with a 117-105 road win over the Toronto Raptors.
The magnitude of this moment almost defies description. Last season, the Pistons had a franchise-worst 14 wins, suffered an NBA-record 28-game losing streak and seemingly suffered from an incurable sense of low morale and an unclear vision of when, and how, the team would get back-on-track.
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There was no denying it after Friday’s victory, though — it’s an amazing, surreal, accomplishment, and one they took a moment to relish with only five games remaining in the season.
“It’s a big deal for the group,” Bickerstaff said. “I’ll be honest with you. We typically don’t take time to reflect on where we are, but this is an opportunity for this group to reflect on where it is, where it’s come from and what they’ve been able to accomplish together. To turn it around the way that they have, to put themselves in this position to play in the postseason, it’s a big deal.
“Whatever it is that we’ve asked them to do, they just go out there and try to get it done. Finding the consistency, the belief in one another. It’s a big deal for this group for sure.”
This is, perhaps, the Pistons team that has embraced the franchise’s blue-collar attitude in recent memory. Their strong chemistry has been evident since early in the season. They’ve become devoted to physical play. Since Jan. 1, they’ve been a top-three defensive team. All the core tenants of every great Pistons team has been present in this group.
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They have a long road ahead to live up to the Bad Boys and Goin’ To Work eras, though.
And they know it, as Jalen Duren said after Friday’s win.
“It’s just grit,” he said. “We say grit all the time, we say togetherness, we’ve got a lot of key words that built our culture from day one that we say every time we break the huddle. I feel like we just locked in on those and got us to this point. We’re not done yet. We’re going to take a moment to enjoy what we accomplished, but it’s so many milestones and the real goal is obviously to bring a championship back to the city. It’s a milestone. First step.”
THE NEW GUY: Dennis Schröder’s veteran play is right on time for Detroit Pistons
Malik Beasley called this group’s potential early in the season. After they fell to 0-3 with a loss to the Boston Celtics on Oct. 26, the well-traveled guard, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason, said the team was “right there” as far as figuring out how to consistently win games.
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The season began to turn around in December. After falling to 11-17 in mid-December, the Pistons won three consecutive road games out west (over the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings). They went on to win eight of nine, and 10 of 12, to pull two games above .500 (21-19) with a road win over the New York Knicks.
Beasley and the team’s other veterans — Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Paul Reed — have given this team a higher floor. Cade Cunningham’s leap to superstardom, along with Bickerstaff’s Coach of the Year-caliber work and improvements from the rest of the young core, have enabled this group to surpass all expectations.
“I’ve been on lots of teams on both ends of the spectrum,” Beasley said on Oct. 26. “Championship teams, growing and building teams. My main role is to show the guys every day that if we got the win tonight, it matters but we’ve got a lot of work to do. Rome wasn’t built in one day. I just look to continue to keep building.
“It might seem like we’re 0-3, but I feel like we’re right there. I’m not just saying that because I’m here. I’ve been through struggles in the NBA, and we’re right there. The chemistry is really good, the camaraderie is really good, we still have a lot of energy.”
The Pistons are playoff-bound. The goal posts will now shift toward winning a championship — the ultimate goal of any franchise. It no longer seems like a pipe dream.
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“Coach has done a great job with us,” Beasley said Friday. “For some reason, whatever happened in Cleveland, we’re thankful for that because it gave him an opportunity to help us out. Everything happens for a reason. I could’ve signed back in Milwaukee, Tim did it in Dallas. Everything happens for a reason.
“It’s given me vibes of like an OKC, Cleveland team. The NBA is turning back to full teams. We’ve got one superstar on our team. That’s the type of basketball that we love and have each other’s back, and that’s what we’re doing.”
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At the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, some predicted that the Detroit Red Wings — with one of the proudest histories among the league’s 32 clubs — would make their triumphant return to the postseason field.
Although they remain mathematically in the race with less than two weeks to go, their chances are getting slimmer by the day.
Friday night, they’ll host the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+), with a chance to inch their way closer to the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers, who have been ping-ponging the final wild-card spot back and forth in recent days.
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As the games get underway, the Red Wings’ 75 points are six behind both the Canadiens, and their 26 regulation wins are tied with Montreal.
Things only get harder for Dylan Larkin & Co. after the game against the Canes. Their remaining schedule features only games against teams currently in playoff position: the Florida Panthers twice, Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs. Perhaps the teams that have clinched a playoff berth will take a proverbial foot off the gas pedal, but this is not exactly an ideal closing schedule for a team on the outside looking in on the playoffs.
But if the Red Wings are going to make a run, a win on Friday will go a long way (at least emotionally) to rally support. Can they do it?
With the regular season ending April 17, we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.
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Jump ahead: Current playoff matchups Today’s schedule Yesterday’s scores Expanded standings Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 St. Louis Blues C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers
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Friday’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings, 7 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/NHLN) Minnesota Wild at New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday’s scoreboard
Montreal Canadiens 4, Boston Bruins 1 Ottawa Senators 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 1 Colorado Avalanche 7, Columbus Blue Jackets 3 St. Louis Blues 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 4 (OT) Dallas Stars 5, Nashville Predators 1 Los Angeles Kings 4, Utah Hockey Club 2 Calgary Flames 4, Anaheim Ducks 1 Winnipeg Jets 4, Vegas Golden Knights 0 Edmonton Oilers 3, San Jose Sharks 2
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Points: 96 Regulation wins: 38 Playoff position: A1 Games left: 7 Points pace: 105.0 Next game: vs. CBJ (Saturday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 95 Regulation wins: 38 Playoff position: P3 Games left: 7 Points pace: 103.9 Next game: vs. EDM (Saturday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 93 Regulation wins: 32 Playoff position: P2 Games left: 7 Points pace: 101.7 Next game: @ LA (Saturday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 84 Regulation wins: 27 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 7 Points pace: 91.8 Next game: vs. VGK (Saturday) Playoff chances: 5.9% Tragic number: 10
Points: 81 Regulation wins: 26 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 7 Points pace: 88.6 Next game: vs. ANA (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0.8% Tragic number: 7
Points: 74 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 7 Points pace: 80.9 Next game: @ ANA (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
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Points: 70 Regulation wins: 26 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 6 Points pace: 75.5 Next game: @ SJ (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 50 Regulation wins: 14 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 7 Points pace: 54.7 Next game: vs. SEA (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Note: An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
