Detroit Pistons look to sweep Boogie-less Pelicans

Following a wild overtime win over Portland, the Detroit Pistons (29-31) travel to New Orleans to face Anthony Davis and the Pelicans (23-37).

DeMarcus Cousins has been the talk of the town since the All-Star break, when he was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans. But the Detroit Pistons will have to wait until next year for their first glimpse of Fire and Ice.

Cousins was served with his 18^th technical foul of the season on Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. As a result, he’ll serve his one-game suspension tonight against Detroit.

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That might seem like a stroke of luck, and the Pistons are almost certainly happy not to have to see Boogie for a third time this season. But it’s worth mentioning the Pelicans are 0-3, losing each game by an average of 17 points, since acquiring Cousins. In the short term, the big man’s absence may very well help the Pelicans more than it hurts them.

Detroit will still have its hands full with Anthony Davis, currently fourth in scoring at 28.1 points per game. But the Brow will be lacking some key reinforcements. New Orleans also shipped out Tyreke Evans, Buddy Hield and Langston Galloway to the Kings. They they waived new acquistion Omri Casspi, who broke his hand during his first week as a Pelican.

Jrue Holliday, the Pelicans’ most dangerous offensive threat after Davis and Cousins, has struggled since the trade. Per SportingNews, he’s averaging ten points, six assists and a steal in the three games since the trade, shooting only 28.9 percent from the field. In the 15 games before the trade, he was averaging 20.7 points, 8.1 assists, 2.3 steals and a 53.9 field goal percentage. Going up against defensive stalwarts Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith, and without Cousins on the floor, Holliday may very well be able to get back on track against the Pistons.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is another guy to keep an eye on. He scored a career-high 38 points in Detroit’s win over the Pelicans three weeks ago and has been the Pistons’ best clutch performer.

The Pistons are in a pretty good place right now, having won 11 of their last 18 games. They sit firmly in the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, only two games behind the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers. But while they’ve been winning games lately, the way they’ve been winning is cause for some concern.

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Detroit formula has been to fall behind early (the Pistons’ current starting lineup has a -5.7 net rating for the season, per NBA.com), scratch and claw back into contention, then let an Ish Smith-led unit carry them in the final quarter.

Jon Leuer‘s recent slump, along with Stanley Johnson‘s strong play, has made the forward rotation more interesting, but Stan Van Gundy’s most pressing lineup decisions are at the point guard position.

Frankly, the Pistons have been much better with Ish Smith–a lot better as of late.

The Smith/Jackson on/off comparison was especially exaggerated in February, but last month wasn’t neccessarily a fluke. Over the course of entire season, Detroit’s net rating is about 13 points better with Smith on the floor.

There’s been some talk about starting Smith over Jackson, but the more important decision might be who closes. Jackson’s bad 3-pointer in the closing minutes of Sunday’s loss to the Celtics didn’t do him any favors with his coach or his teammates. And his poor defense in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s matchup with the Blazers opened the door for an Ish Smith explosion.

That’s one of the biggest things to look for in tonight’s game: if the game is close down the stretch, will Jackson be able to stay in with the starters? Or will Stan Van Gundy rely on Smith once again?

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On paper, this looks like a game the Detroit Pistons should win. But that, combined with the fact that they’re on the road following an overtime game, also makes them prime for a letdown.