Preview: Showdown At Barclays
Dec. 14, 2012; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (1) goes up for a basket as Brooklyn Nets power forward Kris Humphries (43) defends during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Pistons march on with their 8-game preseason schedule this Saturday, October 12th, as they face off against the newly equipped Brooklyn Nets. The game is scheduled to tip in Brooklyn at 7:30 eastern time. Along with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Nets made huge strides to help increase their talent base to what was already an above average eastern conference playoff team.
The Nets big offseason moves were headlined by the addition of Jason Kidd as the new head coach, and the hiring of former Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank as his lead Assistant. The Nets also were the beneficiaries of the Celtics fire sale, where GM Danny Ainge traded longtime Celtics Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn, along with sharp shooter Jason Terry. To finish off the summer, the Nets added forward Andrei Kirilenko to help shape up their bench.
Preview:
With a lot of new faces on each team, the season series may be more competitive than last year’s, as the Nets swept the Pistons 3-0. The additions of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett help fill out a frontline that had holes at both the small and power forward positions. In their last outing, the Nets won a thriller in Washington, where their star point guard Deron Williams sat out. His spot was filled by free agent signee Shaun Livingston. Livingston, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013, started in Williams place against the Wizards.
Livingston played the most minutes out of any Net starter on Tuesday, logging nearly 19 minutes, while the remaining four starters played an average of 13 minutes. Tyshawn Taylor lead the team in points with 16, as well as minutes played at nearly 32 off the pine.
On the other side of the court, the Pistons were riddled by injuries on Thursday when they faced the reigning champs, as Will Bynum was the lone point guard active against Miami. Bynum played over 46 minutes scoring 26 points, dishing out six assists, and turning the ball over seven times.
Brandon Jennings and Chauncey Billups are expected to miss Saturday night, as Billups might be given the night off, and Jennings did not travel with the team to Brooklyn. Peyton Siva however, is scheduled to make his debut tonight versus the Nets. Siva and Bynum are expected to hold down the point guard position Saturday night.
Andre Drummond, who is off to a strong preseason averaging 19 points and 10 boards through the first two games, will try to keep his strong start going against a veteran savvy frontline led by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and the seven-footer Brook Lopez.
BROADCAST:
– Television: YES Network (New York)
– Radio: 1270 AM (Detroit)
PROJECTIONS:
– Starters:
Detroit Pistons:
HC: Mo Cheeks
PG: Will Bynum
SG: Kyle Singler
SF: Josh Smith
PF: Greg Monroe
C: Josh Smith
Brooklyn Nets:
HC: Jason Kidd
PG: Deron Williams
SG: Joe Johnson
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Brook Lopez
INJURY UPDATE:
Detroit Pistons:
– Brandon Jennings: OUT (Tooth)
– Rodney Stuckey: OUT (Thumb)
– Luigi Datome: OUT (Hamstring)
Brooklyn Nets:
– NONE
PREDICTION: 97-89 DETROIT
– If we take Brooklyn’s last preseason contest as any sort of sample for Saturday’s game, the Nets will not be playing their key guys above 20 minutes. As for Detroit, they still are trying to gain chemistry, as they try to introduce eight new player in the rotation throughout the preseason. Expect the starters for Detroit to play around 22-27 minutes Saturday.
RODNEY STUCKEY UPDATE:
– After fracturing the tip of his right thumb in his car door on Wednesday, Stuckey had a successful surgery Friday morning, the Pistons team site reports. Rodney Stuckey is scheduled to be reevaluated 2-weeks from his surgery, and will have his hand remain in a stint until he is reevaluated in a few weeks. There is some hope that Rodney has an outside chance of being ready for Opening Night which lands on October 30th.
As for now, Stuckey will still be on the Detroit bench, supporting his teammates throughout the remainder of the preseason.
Make sure to check back here for all the post game highlights!