The Pistons are closing in on their highest draft pick since 2002. And maybe their first No. 1 overall pick since 1970.
Cade Cunnningham? Jalen Suggs? Evan Mobley?
In a matchup Tuesday night with major lottery implications, the Pistons were blown out by the Timberwolves. They won big in a loss.
The defeat all but assures Detroit of the second best odds in the lottery next month. The Pistons are one game clear of the Thunder with two games remaining: Denver (45-24) on Friday and Miami (38-31) on Sunday.
The Pistons entered Tuesday 1.5 games clear of the Timberwolves. A win would have dropped Detroit into a tie with OKC and left it just a half-game clear of Minnesota, Cleveland and Orlando.
But the Timberwolves raced out to a 22-point halftime lead, and that was that.
The Rockets have clinched the top spot in the lottery. Assuming the Pistons remain No. 2, the lowest they could pick is No. 6. They haven't picked that high since drafting Darko Milicic second overall in 2002.
Detroit would also have a 14 percent chance of picking first and a 52.1 percent chance of picking in the top four, tied with the Rockets and the third-place lottery team.
The lottery is set for June 22, with the draft coming on July 29. We'll see how it all unfolds. But the Pistons' rebuild already got a boost Tuesday night in a well-timed loss.