The Detroit Pistons (28-30) will be looking to win their match-up tonight against the Boston Celtics (37-21) for more reasons than one.
Not only are the Detroit Pistons looking to continue their current two-game winning steak, they are looking to secure a victory on Rip Hamilton Night.
The franchise is set to hang the shooting guard’s number in the rafters at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
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Richard Hamilton, who played with the Pistons for nine of his 14 NBA seasons, was a key member of the team throughout the 2000s along with Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace.
The three-time all-star was also a major contributor during Detroit’s playoff runs throughout the decade, averaging about 21 points, four rebounds and four assists from 2002-2009.
Those performances helped the franchise win the 2004 NBA championship.
Unforgettable Moments: Take a look at the career of Rip Hamilton as we raise his jersey to the rafters! #Yessir https://t.co/bfAOx1YnlX
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 26, 2017
As for the game itself, the Pistons will have a tough match-up against the Celtics.
Boston is coming into Auburn Hills leading the season series 1-2, with Detroit’s losses being by two points in November and four points in January.
Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy will also be looking to get Reggie Jackson going again.
He sat on the bench in the fourth quarter and overtime of the team’s comeback win against Charlotte Feb. 24. Jackson, who missed the first 21 games of the season due to injury, also has regressed offensively, averaging 14.9 points per game on 42 per cent shooting along with 5.5 assists. All of those statistics are down from last season, according to basketball-reference.com.
Those totals have gone down this month as well – Jackson in February is averaging just 9.4 points and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 36.3 percent from the floor, according to MLive.
The Pistons also reportedly were discussing trading the point guard, which in the end did not happen.
Van Gundy told MLive’s Aaron McCann knows Jackson has the talent to be successful – they just have to make sure they are both on the same page:
"“I think he’s been trying defensively,” said Pistons president-coach Stan Van Gundy. “Just offensively, we’ve got to find an answer. I know he’s frustrated. He’s frustrated with me, play calls and things like that. So, we’re going to have to find something to where he can play more effectively, more productively, on the offensive end of the court.”"
They will need Jackson’s offensive production to pick up tonight as they take on the sixth-highest scoring offense in the league (108.2 points per game). Detroit’s last loss to the Celtics also surpassed that total for both sides.
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Overall, it should be an entertaining game to watch for more reasons than one.