DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 23: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs and Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons look on during the game on February 23, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using t his photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images The Detroit Pistons take on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs again, a few games after Wemby stifled their offense. Stephon Castle deserves credit for his pressure on Cade Cunningham, but everything changes with Wemby on the backline. A 2005 Finals rematch is a real possibility. Both Detroit and San Antonio are top 10ish offenses and top 5 defenses. Detroit has some playoff experience with their showing last year, but not too many on either team have been a major contributor on a deep run. Harrison Barnes has been, but he is out tonight after waking up with a sore ankle a few days ago.   Both teams are live dogs to make the NBA Finals. Improvement was expected for both teams, but they’ve smashed expectations. Detroit will travel to San Antonio to test their mettle against one of the league’s best. Game Vitals Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas When: 8:00 PM Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit Odds: Pistons (+3.5) Analysis The Pistons had two tight games with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the last week, who were without their star, Donovan Mitchell. Detroit split those games, but there are moments they’d want back. Here’s a great opportunity to get back on track against a Spurs team that has won 14 of its last 17 games, including a dub over Detroit. Figuring out the Wemby challenge as an offense is no easy task. Teams have taken him out of the game scoring-wise, but he still ends up a +41 because he is that impactful as a defender. Cade turned down some solid looks with Wemby in his vicinity in the last matchup. Wemby, being the pest he is, plus Castle’s relentless intensity, didn’t make things easier for the MVP candidate. It was a rough shooting night in Cade’s last outing in Cleveland. His overall impact was there with the 33 points he created off assists, but Detroit will need his shot-making tonight. And that goes for everyone. Players need to take advantage of the attention Cade draws tonight. Consistently hitting outside shots can combat Wemby’s nutty rim protection. They love to play him on a non-shooter to allow him to hover in the lane. Someone has to make him pay for sagging. That’s not going to be Ausar Thompson or Jalen Duren making Wemby pay from 3 tonight. Duren is capable of going at Wemby. He should be aggressive early to potentially get Wemby in foul trouble. Ausar often offsets his shooting woes with timely cuts, aggression on the offensive glass, and secondary playmaking duties. If Ausar is the player Wemby sags off of, crashing the glass should skyrocket on his priority list. That’s not as good as sinking open 3s, but it can lead to winning basketball. Wemby won’t be matched up with the likes of Duncan Robinson or Tobias Harris, most likely, but those guys still need to deliver from 3. Maybe it’s a tryout game for Kevin Huerter? Someone has to help keep the Spurs honest and make them pay for gapping up on Cade and Duren. Besides Wemby’s paint protection and Castle’s all-around solid game, San Antonio burned Detroit from 3. They buried a season-high 18 triples. While Detroit’s own lack of shooting has been a constant conversation that I participate in, it should be noted that teams usually don’t torch them from deep. Opponents only make 34.7 percent of their 3s against this lockdown Pistons defense. That’s third best in the association, according to Cleaning the Glass. Teams shoot a decent amount of 3s against the Pistons, but the Spurs’ explosion hasn’t been a regular theme. The Cavs did get up a ton of deep balls last game, too, though. Tonight is an opportunity for Detroit to beat one of the hottest teams in basketball and get back to its chaotic defense that forces shooters to take contested shots or drive into their top-tier rim protection. Devin Vassell (28 pts – 7 3s) and Julian Champagnie (17 pts – 5 3s) got it going in the last matchup. Those two need to be limited. Isaiah Stewart is around for this one. It’s not an easy night for anyone when he and Duren come into town. Wemby is averaging 16 points with a 54 true shooting percentage over the last five games. He has struggled as a scorer, and Detroit could keep those struggles alive. It remains to be seen how Detroit can respond to Wemby on the other end. Lineups Detroit Pistons (45-15): Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren San Antonio Spurs (44-17): DeAaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Victor Webmanyama Question of the day Did the 1988 or 2005 Finals loss hurt more? ...read more read less