Over the past week, the NBA has finally outlined the 2026-27 regular season schedule, and the extended rollout included a couple notable matchups for the Detroit Pistons. Of course, the East’s top seed from last year is set to face a a strong, retooled Boston Celtics squad on Opening Day at 3 pm as the league’s first official regular season contest, but the Pistons are also involved in the league’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day slate as well.
Outside of those battles, the league also released the official NBA Cup schedule, so there are a handful of mid-season tournament matchups for Pistons fans to look forward to as well. But even outside of those specialty affairs, Detroit is tabbed to square off against the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a newly-minted Rivals Week.
For this history-laden meeting, the Pistons will travel slightly south to Rocket Arena in Cleveland for a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. Both teams are scheduled to face off just nine days prior for another Pistons road game, but the two squads also have a mid-December game on the schedule as their first Central Division showdown of the season.
2026-27 NBA Rivals Week: Jan. 26-30:
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) August 13, 2026
Rockets at Spurs - Jan. 26
Thunder at Lakers - Jan. 26
Pistons at Cavs - Jan. 27
Nuggets at Timberwolves - Jan. 27
Hawks at Knicks - Jan. 28
Heat at Bucks - Jan. 28
Cavs at Raptors - Jan. 29
Hornets at Timberwolves - Jan. 29
76ers at…
After last year’s seven-game second round playoff battle, the Cavs have not done an overwhelming amount of tinkering with their lineup during the offseason. The Cavs still need to work on a new deal with restricted free agent James Harden, but that was their chief agenda item this summer after missing out on the LeBron James sweepstakes. Now, Cleveland did just trade veteran guard Dennis Schroder to the Charlotte Hornets, but that rotational move is decidedly less important than their ability to retain Harden.
Naturally, the Pistons made their fair share of changes during the offseason with four key players exiting the squad in exchange for a combination of youth and perimeter shooting, but Detroit should have had enough time to gel into a cohesive unit by the time they face the Cavs during Rivals Week. The biggest hurdle to climb will be the starting lineup swap of Tobias Harris, who held down the four over the past two seasons, for John Collins at power forward, but the new Detroit big man has a dynamic skill set and should offer even more options for the Pistons offensively.
Collins is one of four vets to join the Pistons this summer who shot at least 40% from three-point range last season, so the former Los Angeles Clippers power forward should help Detroit space the floor while also battling for space above the rim by way of offensive rebound or put-back slam. Apart from that, the Pistons mostly made second unit changes this summer with Taurean Prince, Isaiah Joe and Gary Harris joining the team, and they will be a bit easier to gradually work into the mix.
After the Pistons’ Rivals Week meeting with the Cavs, the two divisional opponents will clash for a final time at Little Caesars Arena at 8 pm on Tuesday, March 9 as the fourth and final game in their season series.