Blake Griffin’s arrival has generated some serious buzz throughout the Motor City. After his impressive debut Thursday night, the Detroit Pistons (24-26) must shift their focus to the surging Miami Heat (29-23). Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Detroit.
Well that was fun, wasn’t it?
Blake Griffin engineered a masterful performance (24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists) in his Detroit Pistons debut. Stan Van Gundy and his team escaped with a 104-102 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
But Thursday’s celebration needs to subside with the Miami Heat now in town.
The Heat enter Saturday night’s contest with one of the better records in 2018. Since Jan. 1, they’re 10-6 and currently hold the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Point guard Goran Dragic is averaging 16.9 points, 4.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game this season. With Kevin Love set to miss the All Star Game, Dragic was chosen as his replacement. It’s the first time the 31-year-old has received the honor.
In addition to Dragic, Miami offers a very balanced scoring attack. Eight players in their rotation are averaging at least 10 points per game.
But it’s their defense that has brought them back into the playoff picture. The Heat are allowing just 103.9 points per 100 possessions, which gives them the seventh-best defensive rating in the NBA.
Led by their rim protector Hassan Whiteside (1.8), Miami is averaging 5.3 blocks per game. Whiteside is questionable for Saturday’s game in Detroit. He left Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers with an illness.
This would bode well for the Pistons’ fearsome new frontcourt.
Griffin appeared comfortable in his first game playing alongside Andre Drummond. When he ran the offense, Griffin found the Pistons’ center rolling to the basket and threw him a lob.
Get used to this pic.twitter.com/31T1FjLan2
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) February 2, 2018
Drummond delivered, and the two should only become more familiar with each other as time goes on. If Whiteside isn’t able to play, look for Griffin and Drummond to dominate Miami inside.
Next: Star-studded trades in Detroit Pistons’ history
Stay tuned, Piston Powered will have all the details, coverage, and analysis after the came concludes. Go Pistons!