With their win over the Chicago Bulls last night, the Pistons closed out a soft section of their schedule the right way. Good thing. It’s about to get much rougher.

Yeah, Stephen Curry is back for the Golden State Warriors tonight. But that’s just the start of it.

After that comes the Oklahoma City Thunder and their league-best defense. Then the Milwaukee Bucks, who are looking like the best team in the East right now. Then a pair of games against the Pistons nemesis of the Philadelphia 76ers, sandwiched between Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans coming to town. It’s rough.

Even after that, they play the resurgent Charlotte Hornets twice, the Boston Celtics, another game against the Bucks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have been awesome since the Jimmy Butler trade.

It’s the type of stretch where you can lose 11 straight games and it’s hard to really be angry about it.

It’s been a nice start for the Pistons, coming out of the gates at 11-7 and fourth in the Eastern Conference. But it’s worth remembering that this time last year, the Pistons were 14-7 and tied for third in the East.

This next stretch is where we’ll really learn about how good this team is. Buckle up.