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Pistons go for season sweep vs. Jazz

By Chris Crowder

Oct 28, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) celebrates during the game against the Utah Jazz at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) celebrates during the game against the Utah Jazz at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a head-scratching loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night, the Pistons will look to regain momentum against the underperforming Utah Jazz.

The Pistons (23-21) pulled off a miraculous win against the Jazz on the second game of the season, as Reggie Jackson scored a go-ahead basket with 17 seconds left. Kentavious-Caldwell Pope’s clutch defense in the waning seconds sealed the win, 92-87.

In the second installment of Detroit vs. Utah, expect a defensive battle, much like the first matchup.

The Jazz (19-24) are coming off of a 108-86 win against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday and their Saturday contest against the Washington Wizards was postponed because of the blizzard conditions on the East Coast.

The Pistons have been up-and-down as of late, struggling to remain consistent. They’ll beat the defending champion Warriors (albeit, it was on an emotionally charged night to honor Ben Wallace), but fall to lower caliber teams like the Nuggets. And in Denver, the Pistons dealt with something they aren’t accustomed to — Andre Drummond having a lackluster performance.

Drummond who only played 18 minutes, racked up just four points and eight rebounds. He missed all four of his free throws as well, and it’s hard to see the big man not making any improvement from the charity stripe. In Houston, he was intentionally fouled five times in nine seconds, and Hack-a-Drum makes for some excruciating to watch basketball. Some fans are calling for a rule change, but for now, it can be a necessary evil in Pistons games.

Drummond’s matchup with Jazz center Rudy Gobert will be interesting to watch. Gobert, also known as The Stifle Tower, is averaging 9.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks this season. His blocks are known to be highlight reel worthy, and the Pistons will hope to not find themselves on the wrong side of the highlight.

Monday’s game will also be another opportunity to see how the Pistons respond moving forward after coach Stan Van Gundy held a team meeting discussing leadership on Friday. Brandon Jennings said that him and Reggie Jackson as the point guards need to step up into that role as they lead the offensive as point guards.

But it’s tough to point out the right leader, especially on a young team. Jackson and Drummond are arguably the best players on the team and are paid accordingly, but aren’t superstars just yet and don’t seem to have a lock on captaining the team. In my opinion, the Pistons don’t have a go-to guy that is needed with the game on the line, either. Leadership will have to develop, whether it be one or multiple players, to make the playoffs and especially if the Pistons want to win in the postseason where they’ll likely face a top-three seed in the East.

All in all, I believe Van Gundy has the budding squad on the right track. I predict they’ll start the week off with a 98-93 victory in Salt Lake.

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