Pistons’ Avery Bradley out for extended period

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The Detroit Pistons will be without their lock-down shooting guard for the next week or so thanks to a groin injury.

Head Coach Stan Van Gundy spoke with the press after practice. “Similar to a sports hernia, but it’s not that,” Van Gundy said. “The symptoms and stuff are the same. It’s going to take some time, but he’ll basically do nothing for the next seven days and then we’ll see where he is and whether we’re starting him back or not.” (Our thanks to the Detroit Free Press for the quote)

Bradley, the Pistons’ second-leading scorer at just over 15 points per game, was a key factor to Detroit’s hot start defensively to begin the season. However, the Pistons are 2-0 in their last two games without him and only have two games these next seven days. They play Wednesday at the Dallas Mavericks, and return home Friday to host the New York Knicks.

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Detroit currently sits at 17-13, the four seed in the playoff race, but are just one game ahead of the 8-seed Knicks. And there are a few more teams right behind New York, so the Piston can’t afford another long losing streak.

As luck would have it they are currently riding a three-game winning streak with two very winnable games ahead. Dallas is the worst team in the NBA and while the Knicks are right behind Detroit, at least the game will be at home. This is a good test for the Pistons with Bradley out of the lineup. Guys like Luke Kennard and Stanley Johnson have a chance to improve with important minutes and have them better prepared for the tail-end of the season.

But let’s hope Bradley returns sooner rather than later