Detroit Pistons start West Coast road trip against Utah Jazz

The Detroit Pistons will get their second look at who some fans felt they should have drafted in Donovan Mitchell, as they head off on a six game West Coast road trip by taking on the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

The Detroit Pistons are coming off an important 99-83 win against the Chicago Bulls, however it was not a perfect game for the Pistons. They did look much better than in previous outings and got the win and that’s a positive.

The Detroit Pistons will hope to get off to a good start on their road trip, which ends in Houston.

In other good news for the Detroit Pistons, Reggie Jackson is nearing a return after doing some non-contact practice on Sunday.

It may be towards the end of the road trip, however it’s still exciting news for Detroit fans.

Keys to the Game

Battle of the (Non-Shooting) Point Guards

Ish Smith vs. Ricky Rubio

Ricky Rubio relies upon his playmaking ability and passing instincts to set up plays for the Utah Jazz, whereas Ish Smith relies upon his speed and motion to cause defenses to collapse and shift and lose coverage.

It will be interesting in today’s NBA to see these 2 styles of play go head to head in a shooting heavy league.

Altitude Battle

Rudy Gobert vs. Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond took the honors last time they met when he had a monster 30 points, 24 rebounds and 6 blocks, however it was a loss.

Drummond has had his best season of his career and should again beat Gobert.

Pistons Injuries

Dwight Buycks (Left Ankle Sprain) – Dwight Buycks missed practice on both Sunday and Monday and is unlikely to play.

Reggie Bullock (Back Spasms) – Reggie Bullock missed practice on both Sunday and Monday and is unlikely to play.

Utah Injuries:

Thabo Sefolosha (ACL) – Thabo Sefolosha is expected to be out for the season

Raul Neto (Left Fractured Wrist) – Raul Neto will be out for 2 weeks

Dante Exum (Shoulder) – May possibly return

I think Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin have big games, and the Detroit Pistons begin their road trip positively with a win.