The Detroit Pistons have bounced back from a five game losing streak to win three straight games, including one against the conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers. They have a chance to make another statement tonight against the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors are playing as well as any team in the eastern conference right now. The Pistons are still very much in the playoff hunt, and a win against the Raptors tonight would put the conference on notice that they aren’t going anywhere.
Tonight will be the second time the Raptors have visited the Palace in the month of February. They left town with a win on February 8th, beating the Pistons 103-89 behind Kyle Lowry’s 25 points and seven assists. The Pistons were without Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in that game, and his perimeter defense is going to be a big help tonight against the Raptors’ dynamic back court of Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.
The Raptors will also have to deal with the addition of Tobias Harris to the Pistons’ starting lineup. There is no question that the offense has taken steps forward since Harris’ arrival, and he has a favorable match up tonight against 35 year old Luis Scola. The Pistons should try to get Tobias the ball on the perimeter and let him attack Scola off the dribble. Patrick Patterson comes off the bench and usually plays starter’s minutes at power forward, and he may be forced to come in quicker than usual if Tobias can get some buckets early.
Where the Raptors will have a major advantage is on the bench. The Pistons are still dealing with a depleted bench with Stanley Johnson and Anthony Tolliver sidelined. Terrence Ross has the ability to put up big scoring numbers, and he killed the Pistons in the last game with 18 points in 29 minutes off the bench, including 4-6 three pointers. Cory Joseph is also a very capable backup point guard who plays tough on-the-ball defense, which is usually an issue for Steve Blake.
The Pistons’ starters are going to need to play big minutes tonight (which is nothing new) and staying out of foul trouble will be key.
The intensity and energy level during the Pistons’ current three game winning streak has been excellent. The effort has to be there again tonight, as the Raptors are not a team who will allow you to hang around if you’re not ready to play.
The Pistons once again proved in their win against Cleveland on Tuesday that they are capable of beating anybody. A win tonight would be a great way to end an encouraging week.
Starting Lineups:
Detroit Pistons
Reggie Jackson
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Marcus Morris
Tobias Harris
Andre Drummond
Toronto Raptors
Kyle Lowry
DeMar DeRozan
James Johnson
Luis Scola
Jonas Valanciunas