The Detroit Pistons currently hold the second to last record in the NBA at 9-25. While they are an exciting young group of players that, fans have yet to see them in person. Detroiters will soon have that chance.
The Pistons announced Wednesday morning that starting tomorrow at 10 AM, tickets for their home games will go on sale. Their matchup against March 17th game vs. the Toronto Raptors will be the first game fans can attend this season.
Fans will be able to purchase tickets to the remaining home games on Pistons.com/Tickets or Ticketmaster.com.
This news comes less than 24 hours after the state of Michigan relaxed several indoor capacity limits due to COVID-19. Part of the relaxed restrictions includes allowing 375 attendees to athletic stadiums with seating of 10,000 or fewer. In the Pistons’ case, the order allows up to 750 people in attendance if the seating is more than 10,000.
The Pistons have worked on creating a safe environment for fans upon their return.
According to the team’s official press release, all seats will spread apart the arena due to the social distance guidelines.
Additional measures include:
- Attendees older than must wear their masks during the entire except when eating or drinking at their seat.
- Abide by the marked physical distancing while walking around the arena.
- Attendees must complete a health screening no more than 24 hours before the game.
- The Pistons are installing mobile ticket scanners.
- Payments for parking and food in the arena will be cashless.
- No bags of any kind can enter the arena.
“In preparation for hosting a limited number of fans during these challenging times, we are grateful to work closely with state and local health professionals, the NBA, and Olympia Entertainment in creating a safe and welcoming environment,” said Mike Zavodsky, Chief Business Officer for the Detroit Pistons.
“We thank our fans and the community for their continued support during this time as we worked through all necessary steps and benchmarks required for welcoming you back to Little Caesars Arena safely.”
Tim Padgett, Olympia Entertainment VP of Venue Operations also spoke on Wednesday’s announcement.
“We are very excited to gradually expand the number of guests in attendance at Little Caesars Arena for upcoming Pistons games,” said Tim Padgett, Olympia Entertainment’s Vice President of Venue Operations.
“We appreciate the extensive coordination with, and guidance from, public health and medical experts, government officials, and the National Basketball Association over the past several months. Safety is our top priority. We have developed and invested in a plan that has allowed us to welcome back fans safely to our venues.”
With the way the Pistons’ season is going, they could use the fan support. They are 3-7 in the last ten games. Currently, they are on a three-game losing streak. Along with that, their 6-10 record at home is one of the worst in the league. To be fair, there are some fans who are ok with the Pistons losing ways. After all, losing more games increases the Pistons’ chances of a top pick in the draft lottery. On the other hand, some feel the consistent losing is a bit much.
And those are the fans that cannot wait to return to the LCA; relishing at the opportunity to cheer on their Pistons. However, it won’t be at the next home game. Their next home game will be March 15th. vs the San Antonio Spurs. The Pistons are currently on a four-game road trip, which starts tonight against the Toronto Raptors.
The Pistons were scheduled to face the Raptors Tuesday evening, but the NBA postponed it due to contract tracing. Instead, the Pistons will face the Raptors tonight, with a 7 PM tip-off. Due to contact tracing within their team, the Raptors will be without several key contributors for tonight’s game. Their most notable player to be absent will be Paschal Siakam.
It doesn’t stop there for the Raptors either. They’ll also be without Fred Vanvleet, OG Anunoby, Patrick McCaw, and Malachi Flynn. All players will be out due to the COVID-19 protocols.
Get in touch with Kory Woods at kory@woodwardsports.com. Stay connected with him on Twitter @koryewoods.
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