Three Questions Before Pistons Close Out Road Trip Against Spurs

The Detroit Pistons will close out their three-game road trip against the San Antonio Spurs, where they aim to avoid the regular-season sweep and steal a win before heading back to Motown.

Feb 23, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles on San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

For the second time in 11 days, the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs will face off. This time, however, it’ll be the Pistons that hope to steal a win on the road after the Spurs knocked them off with an impressive 114-103 win at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. 

Following a 113-109 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pistons look to close out their three-game road trip with a win over the Spurs and avoid the regular-season sweep to San Antonio.

Here are three questions ahead of Thursday night’s matchup between the Pistons and Spurs. 

Can Pistons Defense Lock Down Victor Wembanyama?

Feb 23, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) receives congratulations from guard Devin Vassell (24) in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

In their first meeting, the Pistons started out playing excellent defense against Wembanyama. As the game went on, however, Wembanyama found a rhythm against the Pistons, with an impact on both ends of the floor for the Spurs. 

Wembanyama finished the statement road win over the Pistons, scoring 21 points, 17 rebounds, and four assists on 6-of-16 shooting from the field.

Now on the road, the Pistons aim to put on a better performance and avenge last week’s loss.

Can Cade Cunningham Rebound From No-Show Performance?

Another factor that resulted in the Pistons falling short in their first meeting against the Spurs was the performance of their star player, Cade Cunningham. While Cunningham scored 16 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds in the loss, he struggled from the field, shooting 5-of-26.

It was the type of performance Pistons fans haven’t been accustomed to seeing from the potential league MVP and was similar to the one he had in the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Against the Cavaliers, Cunningham scored 10 points, 14 assists, and six rebounds on 4-of-16 shooting from the field. 

Following the loss to the Cavaliers, Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff expressed that he wasn’t worried about Cunningham’s no-show against Cleveland, arguing that Cleveland threw a lot at him and he was still able to record 14 assists.

Cunningham will look to have a major impact on the Pistons' effort to knock off the Spurs on the road, and the best bet is that he’ll bounce back from his no-show performance.  

Will Jalen Duren Continue His Streak Of Recording Double-Doubles? 

Mar 3, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) reacts in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Jalen Duren has been on a tear recently for the Pistons, as his improvement this season has made Detroit a serious contender not only to make the NBA Finals but win their first championship since upsetting Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004.

Along with being an All-Star selection this season and being one of the top scoring leaders for the Pistons, averaging 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, Duren has recorded 30 double-doubles, which includes a recent six-game streak since coming back from the All-Star break of collecting one. 

Duren looks to keep that streak alive against the Spurs. In the last meeting against San Antonio in Detroit, Duren scored 25 points, 14 rebounds, and an assist on 10-of-13 shooting from the field.