DETROIT — After a tough loss to end 2024, the Detroit Pistons enter the New Year with some vigor and spark, trying to stay in the postseason hunt on Wednesday night when they host the Orlando Magic.

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The Pistons come into 2025 in arguably the best position they have been in years. They did fall victim to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in their latest matchup this past Saturday, but it put an end to a three-game win streak, which helped Detroit climb into a postseason position. The Pistons ended up going 5-6 in the month of December, but ended the calendar year by winning four of their final six games.

The positive surge has moved Detroit into 10th in the Eastern Conference, the last spot in the Play-In Tournament. The team sits three games back of the Milwaukee Bucks for sixth place.

The Magic are trying to stay far ahead of the four Play-In spots as they are struggling to keep up with the best teams in the East. They managed to win three of the final five games of the calendar year, including a one-point win over the Brooklyn Nets this past Sunday. Orlando ended December with a 6-7 record for the month.

The Magic are fourth in the East, nine games back of the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers.

This is the second of three meetings between the Pistons and Magic this season. Orlando won the first matchup at home in November.

NBA BASKETBALL

Orlando Magic (20-14) vs. Detroit Pistons (14-18)

When: Wednesday, January 1

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Where: Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Mich.)

Channel: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit

Stream: FuboTV (Free Trial), DirecTV Stream

Check out the NBA standings and results on NBA.com

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DETROIT – As the Detroit Lions celebrate another win, Ford Field will take center stage Sunday when the team hosts the Minnesota Vikings.

Monday night’s game at Levi’s Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers highlighted a showdown made in revenge paradise. The Lions defeated the Niners 40-34.

Lions’ fans chant of quarterback Jared Goff’s name rivaled the atmosphere of a home game.

An emotional coach Dan Campbell gave his players praise while admitting he couldn’t even put it into words what he saw on the field.

Campbell rattled off new records including the team’s first 14-win season with the Lions remaining undefeated on the road during the regular season.

“Which tells you at its worst – we can go anywhere and win gentleman,” he said. “That’s the bottom line.”

Wherever the team has gone, through the wins and loses so have the fans. The Lions are not just a team. The team has become embedded in the lives of its fans like Elese Stubbs and her fiancé Keith Butler.

“When the Lions are playing, we watch that together on Sundays,” she said.

Monday game felt epic and bittersweet.

Butler, 69, died of Stage 4 colon cancer Nov. 19, five days after his birthday.

The last win he watched was when the Lions annihilated the Jaguars.

“Oh, he was telling everybody, ‘They’re going to the Super Bowl.’ That’s all we would tell everybody. Anybody said, ‘Oh, they’re the same Lions” – No, they’re not,” Stubbs said.

They’re not. Now, Sundays feel different.

But the Lions remind her of a love she still holds close to her heart.

“It still feels like he’s there hollering at his TV like I’m hollering at mine,” she said.