Victor Wembanyama had 21 points and six blocks while Cade Cunningham was held to 16 in their last meeting.
The Detroit Pistons (45-15, 1st in Eastern Conference) look to make amends for their 114-103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs (44-17, 2nd in Western Conference) on Feb. 23 when the teams meet on Thursday in Alamo City.
Here are three key storylines know heading into tonight’s matchup:
1. Can the Spurs neutralize Cade Cunningham again? With a little over a month remaining in the 2025-26 season and the Pistons atop the East, Cunningham has rightfully earned the No. 3 spot on Shaun Powell’s most recent Kia MVP Ladder. However, the 24-year-old superstar didn’t have the type of performance we’re accustomed to seeing in the first matchup against the Spurs, while Victor Wembanyama (21 points, 17 rebounds, 6 blocks), who ranks No. 4 on the Kia MVP Ladder, was spectacular. Cunningham finished with 16 points on 5-of-26 shooting (19.2%) and a minus-18 plus-minus rating in 35 minutes. The shooting efficiency is the second-worst outing of the season for Cade, and the plus-minus stands as his worst across 54 appearances. Expect the two-time NBA All-Star to be in attack mode and be closer to his season averages of 25.2 ppg and 45.7% from the field.
2. Physicality and intensity on defense: The first battle between these tenacious teams was an absolute dogfight, and it’s fair to anticipate the same type of energy in round two. Although both squads boast top-10 offenses, it’s on the defensive side of the ball where they really set the tone for how they want to play. Detroit ranks second with a defensive rating of 108.4, while San Antonio is a close third at 110.0. The Pistons are fourth in rebounding (46.3 rpg), first in steals (10.6 spg) and blocks (6.4 bpg), and the Spurs are third in rebounds (46.5), 22nd in steals (7.8) and seventh in blocks (5.4). Keep a close eye on paint points for both sides, as Detroit held a significant advantage in that area (62-44) despite San Antonio allowing the seventh-fewest points in the paint (46.6) this season.
3. Road warriors happy to be home: When this contest of contenders tips off, 26 days will have passed since the Spurs’ last home game was played at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. They did have two games as the home team in Austin, Texas, following the All-Star break, but they’ll be ecstatic to take on a tough Detroit opponent to kick-start a six-game homestand. However, the extended road trip gave this group a chance to gain confidence in hostile environments. Over their last 13 games (eight of them away), the Spurs are an NBA-best 12-1, going undefeated across 11 February outings. During this stretch, they’re first in scoring (122.5 ppg), assists (31.5 apg), blocks (7.2 bpg), field goals made (45.4), and plus-minus (+13.4), while also ranking first in DEFRTG (105.2), net rating (14.0) and effective field goal percentage (57.5). Detroit will undoubtedly be hungry to prove their loss to San Antonio ten days ago was a blip, but no matter who wins the rematch, this has must-see written all over it for basketball fans.
