Detroit Pistons vs Golden State Warriors preview
By Joe Imburgia
The Detroit Pistons (18-22) continue their west coast trip as they head to Oakland to face the Golden State Warriors (33-6).
The Detroit Pistons are coming off a loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday in which the Pistons blew an 18 point lead in the 2nd half. This resulted in a 100-94 head-scratching loss to the Kings. The Pistons now will have their hands full with the Golden State Warriors and their explosive offense.
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The Warriors boast a 113.2 offensive rating which is currently the best in the NBA. They have three players averaging over 21 points per game in Kevin Durant (26.0), Stephen Curry (24.7), and Klay Thompson (21.3).
In the first matchup between these two teams, the Pistons hung around until late in the fourth quarter before Golden State pulled away 119-113. The Pistons will be tasked with defending this versatile and potent offense.
The Warriors have the advantage at four of the five positions on the court with the exception being the center position. Andre Drummond must outplay Zaza Pachulia which starts with Drummond dominating the glass and finishing around the rim. Drummond’s offensive rebounds can help give the Pistons opportunities for second chance points that will be important in order to keep up with Golden State offensively.
In their last game, Drummond was tremendous in protecting the rim and the Pistons will need him to replicate that effort again. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be tasked with defending Steph Curry again and he has done a respectable job against Curry in the past.
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Overall, the Pistons must keep up with the Warriors offensively and string together some good defensive possessions to give themselves a chance of winning. They must limit the turnovers against a Warriors team that is lights-out in transition.