Even before the NBA’s suspension of its season on March 11, the Pistons had a slim chance of making the playoffs. In the midst of a five-game losing streak and with 12 losses in their previous 13 games, the Pistons were 20-46 and 10.5 games behind the Orlando Magic, who had the last postseason spot.
In their struggles, the Pistons were a half-game from getting to one of the three worst records in the league, which would give them the best odds (odds shared with the other two teams) to get the top pick in the NBA draft lottery.