Pistons Take on the North
By J.M. Poulard
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (13-24) at Toronto Raptors (25-11)
- Date: January 12
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
Get in the Game
The Detroit Pistons leave the friendly confines of the United States to take on the #WeTheNorth movement tonight. Detroit will be on Canadian soil to face a Toronto Raptors team that looks headed for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.
These Raps are for real judging by how they handle adversity. They went out west in late December and lost three straight games against the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns. There’s no shame in that, considering that Golden State and Portland sit atop the Western Conference standings.
Phoenix is a talented team, and one can forgive a loss in their venue. Toronto then went back home and…lost. Perhaps the Raptors got a bit too comfortable back home, and it allowed the Charlotte Hornets to steal one. Despite the four-game skid, the Raptors still possess the second-best record in the East. Keep in mind, starting 2-guard DeMar DeRozan is still sidelined with a groin injury, and yet, Toronto has stayed afloat during the 20-game absence thanks largely to the MVP-level play of Kyle Lowry.
Opponents have yet to figure out a way to keep him out of the paint, and as a result, Lowry’s been able to have his way late in games, as evidenced by his 182 fourth-quarter points (eighth-best figure in the league), per NBA.com.
That brings a great level of intrigue heading into tonight’s contest given that Detroit has improved its defense over the last nine games. Indeed, the Pistons have the second-best defense in basketball during that stretch, and it might give Lowry fits tonight.
I’m intrigued to see if a Raptors team boasting a top-two offense can exploit a rejuvenated Pistons squad. Toronto gets points from Lowry, but the likes of Jonas Valanciunas, Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez contribute on this front as well.
On great nights, T-Dot gets some scoring punch from Terrence Ross and James Johnson, which makes the Raptors incredibly formidable. Thus, Detroit’s defense will have to be up to task in order to have a shot in this one.
Luckily for the Pistons, the Raptors might provide some assistance. Detroit’s monster nine-game defensive performance happens to coincide with a worrisome Toronto dive in this facet. No team’s been worse defensively in that timeframe, and it prompted head coach Dwane Casey to make it a point of emphasis last week.
“Guys responded, had a good day of practice but we’ve got to carry that over to the games,” Casey said, per TSN.ca’s Josh Lewenberg. “And like I challenged the guys today, we should get more emphatic and more upset and [just as] teed off against the other team as we do against each other. If we compete in the games the way we compete in practice, we’d be a much better defensive team. So we have to carry that over into game situations.”
Perhaps the practice time was just what the Raptors needed in order to correct some issues. Still, it should be intriguing to see how Toronto pressures Detroit.
The Pistons will fire away from deep and crash the glass, which sounds fairly simplistic, but there is a method to the madness. Brandon Jennings and Co. are playing with purpose, and it’s made life difficult for opponents.
Tonight, the Raptors will get a taste of these Pistons, and their defense will likely determine the outcome. If Toronto scores at its usual rate and provides even an average level of resistance, it should be victorious. However, if the defense continues in the same manner it’s been operating over these last few games, Detroit will have a chance to steal one.
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