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Pistons Will Receive Big Bench Boost vs. Magic

Marcus Sasser is set to return against the Magic on Sunday.
Pistons Will Receive Big Bench Boost vs. Magic
Pistons Will Receive Big Bench Boost vs. Magic

For the fourth and final time this year, the Detroit Pistons will battle it out with the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. With both teams having clear injury reports, the Pistons will benefit from getting a young reserve back into the rotation.

Lately, the rookie guard Marcus Sasser has dealt with a knee-related setback. In a matchup against the Indiana Pacers, Sasser suffered a knee contusion. He finished the game with nine points in just ten minutes of action.

Although he was initially on pace to face the Magic last weekend, Sasser was downgraded to questionable on the injury report due to knee soreness. When the Pistons submitted their final decision, they ruled out the young guard for the matchup. 

The Pistons were going to roll without Sasser for at least a week. As the team approached its road matchup against the New York Knicks, Sasser was ruled out with an initial timeline of one week before a re-evaluation.

Detroit kept the young guard off the court over the next two matchups against the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the initial expectation was for Sasser to sit out against the Magic as well, the rookie saw his playing status upgraded to probable before the matchup.

As it turns out, Sasser will make his return to the court to face the Magic on Sunday night. It will mark his first game since February 22.

Dating back to the start of the new year, Sasser appeared in 21 games off the bench for the Pistons. Collecting about 16 minutes per outing, Sasser has produced eight points and four assists while knocking down 44 percent of his threes during that stretch.

Sunday’s game will mark the third time he’ll face the Magic in his young career. With just 15 total minutes in the first two outings, Sasser averaged five found and three assists. He made four of his seven shots off the bench in those games.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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