Detroit Pistons' Schedule Breakdown and Record Predictions for February
The Detroit Pistons had far-and-away their best month of the 2014-15 season in January, and they will look to keep that momentum going into February.
They capped the first month of 2015 off with a 114-101 win over the Houston Rockets, finishing January at 10-7. Even though the Pistons are still well below .500, they are now within striking distance of the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets for the final two playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference.
Continuing the winning ways did become tougher for Detroit after losing starting point guard Brandon Jennings for the season to a ruptured Achilles. Moving backup D.J. Augustin into that role is not much of a drop-off, but the Pistons will miss his talent coming off the bench. John Lucas III has been signed to a 10-day contract in an attempt to fill that void.
With the All-Star break looming, February will give the Pistons the chance to get their legs back and make a final postseason push. And with eight of 11 games against East opponents, the opportunity is there to make up even more ground.
Week 1: February 1-7
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The Pistons began the month with an easy win against the free-falling Heat, and the other two games in the first week are very winnable.
They go on the road to play the Indiana Pacers next. Detroit's Central Division foes were a top-two team in the East in 2013-14, but without Paul George and Lance Stephenson they are now on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
Frank Vogel has been able to keep their identity as a defensive team alive, as they rank No. 11 in defensive rating, per NBA.com. But only the Philadelphia 76ers have been worse offensively than the Pacers, and they have lost nine of their last 11 games.
Even on the road in the second game of a back-to-back, it would be a letdown if the Pistons didn't grab a win in Indianapolis.
Two days later the Pistons host the Denver Nuggets, who have been even worse than the Pacers recently, losing 10 of their past 11 games.
Both teams have talent and could beat the Pistons, but these are games that Detroit should and must win to get closer to the postseason.
Week 1 prediction:
02/03 vs. Miami Heat: Win (Final, 108-91)
02/04 at Indiana Pacers: Win
02/06 vs. Denver Nuggets: Win
Weekly record: 3-0
Week 2: February 8-14
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After a promising opening week to February, the rest of the month's schedule quickly gets more difficult.
Detroit does get one more game against a weak opponent to begin the second week when it hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves: holders of the NBA's worst record. The Pistons should have no trouble in that game.
Then the fun begins.
Two days later they head to Charlotte to face the Hornets, who currently are tied for No. 7 in the East. Michael Jordan's team seems like it has found its form, winning 10 of 13 games to push the Brooklyn Nets out of the playoff picture.
The Pistons and Hornets were two of the NBA's hottest teams in January, and both have true low-post scorers in Greg Monroe and Al Jefferson, respectively. Before Kemba Walker got injured, the Hornets would have to be favored at home. Now the Pistons have a slight edge, though this one could go either way.
Detroit would really like to grab that win because up next are the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Even though it feels like they're in a down season sitting at No. 7 in the Western Conference, the Spurs are still winning over 60 percent of their games and feature Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Gregg Popovich.
To beat the Spurs would be an absolute steal of a win for the Pistons.
Week 2 prediction:
02/08 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Win
02/10 at Charlotte Hornets: Win
02/11 vs. San Antonio Spurs: Loss
Weekly record: 2-1
Week 3: February 15- 21
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The Pistons have just one game in the third week of February after getting over a week off for the All-Star break.
Unfortunately, it's not a great matchup for Detroit.
Even if the Chicago Bulls were inconsistent in January, finishing the month 8-9, they are still one of the top teams in the East. And with Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic, they have the personnel to neutralize Detroit's size.
The Pistons lost the first meeting between the two teams this season, and the Bulls are 15-2 against them under coach Tom Thibodeau. Even at home, Detroit will have a tough time in this one.
Week 3 prediction:
02/20 vs. Chicago Bulls: Loss
Week 3 record: 0-1
Week 4: February 22-28
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The fourth week will continue to teach us how competitive the Pistons are going to be without Jennings.
Three of their four games are against top East teams, so this week could shed some light on how the Pistons would fare in a potential playoff series.
They start the week playing the Wizards at home in their second meeting of the season. In the first, Jennings went toe-to-toe with John Wall and nearly willed the Pistons to a win on the road. Like the Bulls, Washington has four talented big men to match up with Monroe and Andre Drummond.
Two days later the Pistons host LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Cleveland has won its last 10 games, and Detroit has nobody capable of slowing down James when the ball is in his hands. This may be the toughest game of the month for the Pistons.
After that they host the New York Knicks to close out a five-game home stand. Even though the Knicks have been playing much better lately—winning five of their last 10 after winning just five of their first 39 games—New York is among the worst teams in the NBA.
And to close out the month, the Pistons head to the nation's capital for their second game with the Wizards. At the back end of a back-to-back and on the road, this will be a tough one for the Pistons. But it wouldn't be a surprise if the teams split their meetings in February's final week.
Week 4 prediction:
02/22 vs. Washington Wizards: Win
02/24 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Loss
02/27 vs. New York Knicks: Win
02/28 at Washington Wizards: Loss
Week 4 record: 2-2
February Recap
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Over the course of January, the Pistons went from one of the laughingstocks of the NBA to a real threat to make the playoffs. The team found a real rhythm with Josh Smith gone and won more games (10) than it did in the first two months combined (8).
That success felt like it could have been for naught when Jennings went down against the Milwaukee Bucks, and Detroit lost that game and the three following. But it bounced back with two wins against the Rockets and Heat. The hope is that Stan Van Gundy has found a way to steady the ship.
February's schedule is neither filled with cupcakes nor powerhouses. There are very winnable games throughout, and Detroit's ability to capitalize on those may very well mean the difference between getting to the postseason or picking in the lottery.
The key to winning may be Augustin taking over for Jennings. In the five full games since he moved to the starting lineup, Augustin has averaged 21.8 points and 9.2 assists. They can compete with the best teams in the NBA when he finishes with 28 points 12 assists, like he did against the Rockets. But if he scores two points on 0-for-7 shooting, like he did in their loss to the 76ers, well, the Pistons are in trouble.
Augustin came up big last season for the Bulls while filling in for Derrick Rose, and he helped them get the No. 4 seed. The Pistons hope he saved some of that magic to help them get back to the postseason for the first time since 2009.
Prediction: 7-4
All records and statistics accurate through February 2, 2015 and are from NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
Jakub Rudnik covers the Detroit Pistons as a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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