Wizards look to clinch playoff berth in Detroit

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The Wizards look to clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Pistons tonight.

Game Info

Little Caesars Arena | 7:00 p.m. | NBCSW | 1500 AM

Probable Starters

Wizards (41-33): G - Satoransky, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat 

Pistons (34-40): G - Jackson, G – Bullock, F - Johnson, F - Griffin, C - Drummond

Wizards: John Wall (Knee - Questionable)

Pistons: Jon Leuer (Ankle - Out)

Storylines

The Wizards' magic number is down to one and they'll have a chance to punch their playoff ticket with a win in Detroit tonight. The Pistons currently sit in the ninth spot in the East and are five games behind Milwaukee for the final playoff spot. Washington will still be fighting for seeding down the stretch, but they'll hope to at least secure a spot in the postseason after tonight's game, something that was not a given two months ago when John Wall had his knee procedure. This would be the Wizards fourth trip to the postseason in the last five years.

The Wizards enter the night in sixth place in the East, 2.5 games behind Indiana for fifth and 3.5 games behind Cleveland, who are currently in third and as it stands would be the Wizards first round opponent. Philadelphia is only a half game behind the Cavs and a lot can change in these final two weeks, so it will be worth watching each night until April 11th comes. The Wiz are 1.5 games ahead of Miami for the division lead and the sixth seed.

After being sidelined for over two months, John Wall is nearing a return. He's returned to full contact practice and has traveled with the team to Detroit. After Wednesday's practice, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said Wall would participate in the team's shootaround in Detroit and would be questionable for tonight's game. There still could be one or two more final tests to pass for Wall to be cleared to return to a game, but it sounds as if it will be very soon. If it's not tonight's game, it certainly seems that a return Saturday would be inevitable. How many minutes Wall plays will be another thing to watch once he does come back, but the team will certainly get a boost just seeing him back in uniform.

There will likely be an update on Wall's status around 5:30 p.m. tonight when Scott Brooks addressed the media.

When the Pistons acquired Blake Griffin just ahead of the trade deadline, they hoped it would propel them into the playoffs. But, with two weeks left in the regular season, they'll need a lot of help to have any chance at the postseason. They are five games back of the Bucks and they'll probably need to win the rest of their games to even have a chance at the playoffs. They should be playing like a desperate team tonight and they are healthy again, with Reggie Jackson back in the lineup at point guard. This will be the first time the Wizards play the Pistons with Griffin and Andre Drummond together and they can be a dominant pairing in the paint. The Pistons have won two straight and four of their last five, with their only loss an overtime loss in Houston. Detroit has been playing better over the last two weeks and this will be a tough road test for the Wizards as they look to build off their big win over the Spurs on Tuesday.

Up next, the Wizards go back home to host the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday afternoon (3:00 p.m.).