Detroit Pistons look to reset against Golden State Warriors
By Matthew Way
Two nights before Christmas, the Detroit Pistons (14-17) are hoping that there truly is no place like home for the Holidays. The Pistons are in the midst of a four game losing streak in which they lost all four games by double digits. To make things worse, the league-best Golden State Warriors (26-4) are coming to town and Draymond Green is expected to be back in their lineup.
While the Warriors are looking forward to getting back to their old starting lineup, the Pistons are looking to shake up theirs. That starting lineup change will probably come in the form of Jon Leuer. Leuer, who has been a stabilizing force for the Pistons this year, will need to continue his great play for the Pistons to have any chance against the Warriors tonight.
With Leuer a likely starter, the remaining question for the Pistons is who he will replace. If last game against the Grizzlies was any indication, it will be Marcus Morris to join the bench unit. Leuer replaced Morris as the first sub in both the first and third quarters against the Grizzlies. Morris played a four minute stretch with all bench members and it was the most productive Pistons lineup of the night (+5).
As Pistons are making changes and moving forward, they’ll no doubt be looking to last season’s success for help with the answer to their current struggles. Playing the Warriors at the Palace, the Pistons will undoubtedly be thinking about the game last January when they beat the Warriors soundly.
Last year’s victory against the Warriors came on a night when emotions were high as a result of the Pistons retiring Ben Wallace’s jersey. The Pistons will need to summon that same level of emotion to beat an even more loaded Warriors roster. Last year, the Pistons shut down Harrison Barnes. This year, Barnes has been replaced by MVP candidate Kevin Durant. With the forward rotation in flux, Leuer, Morris, and Tobias Harris will all undoubtedly want to prove to Stan Van Gundy that they deserve big minutes.
While the Pistons have plenty of motivation to play well tonight, the Warriors find themselves in a bit of a trap game. The Warriors’ starters had to play more minutes than Steve Kerr would have liked last night after trailing by 16 at halftime to the Nets. On Christmas, the Warriors face the Cleveland Cavaliers in a match-up that the entire league has been waiting for since June. A less than stellar performance against the Warriors tonight would certainly not shock anyone. Whether the Pistons can capitalize on that will be determined tonight. If they can, a win against the league’s best team could serve as a turning point for the Pistons’ season.