After a 109-89 loss to the Boston Celtics (4-2), the Detroit Pistons (4-1) will look to rebound as they travel to Beantown for the rematch. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Detroit and WWJ 950 AM.
After winning four straight games to open the season, the Detroit Pistons were given a quick dose of reality in a 109-89 pounding to the Celtics at home. They’ll now play a rematch in Boston at the TD Garden.
After a positive start to the season, one bad game shouldn’t send Pistons fans into a frenzy, especially considering the Celtics are a Finals contender. But this game showed that the Pistons still have a lot to work on both offensively and defensively.
They will once again have their hands full with a deep Celtics’ roster. Boston has at least eight players who can put up big numbers on any given night.
Five Celtics finished in double figures on Saturday, and none of those were either Kyrie Irving or Jayson Tatum, arguably their two best players. That just shows you how deep and dangerous this team really is.
One of the only highlights for the Pistons in the previous Celtics game was Stanley Johnson. He finished the game with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. After a slow start to the season, the fourth-year small forward looked poised and confident. He was aggressive with his drives, using his strength to finish shots through contact and get to the free-throw line.
Considering his struggles so far, any decent game from Stanley is a welcome sign. Hopefully he can build some confidence and blossom into the player he was drafted to be.
Coach Dwayne Casey used a fair amount of two and three-guard lineups in the last meeting, which proved to be detrimental against a taller and longer Celtics team. He will have to make an adjustment tonight, and I would hope that means more of Glenn Robinson III. Robinson has been on the bench for most of the season, and I’m interested to see what he is capable of if given consistent minutes.
Only five games in, Casey is still learning how to effectively use his roster. It makes sense that there will be hiccups, as he tries to find what works best against different teams.
The big key for tonight’s game will be to get Blake Griffin going offensively. After coming in leading the entire league in per-game scoring, he was held to seven points on 2-of-13 shooting. Considering how the rest of the Pistons have struggled to generate much offense, Griffin will need to have a big game if they expect to win.
Sharp shooters Reggie Bullock and Langston Galloway have been struggling from beyond the arc to start the year, shooting 20 and 15 percent, respectively. The Pistons could really use their floor-spacing abilities to open things up for the rest of the team.
I expect the Detroit Pistons to come out much more prepared than they did on Saturday. Playing a Finals contender like the Celtics was certainly a wake-up call that this team still has a long way to go.