The Detroit Pistons host the Miami Heat tonight at Little Caesars Arena. Both teams have lost a combined seven consecutive games, so something has to give. Eddie Zilincik previews Monday night’s match-up.
The Detroit Pistons’ correction has started to look more like a complete regression. The team has dropped four in a row, and will attempt to prevent a fifth loss on Monday night in Detroit.
Detroit (4-4) will welcome the Miami Heat (3-5) to Little Caesars Arena at 7 p.m.
Miami, similar to Detroit, started out the season with a winning record (3-2). Since their solid start however, the Heat have dropped three in a row, giving up an average of 123.6 points per game.
The teams the Heat fell to include the Kings, Hornets, Hawks, opponents that a team like Miami (supposed to be a playoff team) should to beat. Additionally, it wasn’t as if the Heat lost a few close contests against these probable bottom feeders, losing by an average margin of nine points.
In the most recent of their three consecutive losses, star point guard Goran Dragic did not suit up for the Heat with a toe injury.
Meanwhile for Detroit, the team’s 4-0 start seems like a distant memory. Detroit’s three-game road swing did not go as planned. They were in all three games with a chance to win, but couldn’t get it done in any of the contests.
During their four-game slide, the Detroit Pistons have shot 40.2 percent from the field and an atrocious 23.7 percent from 3-point range. Additionally, Detroit is giving up an average of 111.5 points per game, while only scoring 103.0 a night.
Those are numbers that aren’t going to result in very many wins. The Pistons will be hoping to put an end to those substandard percentages and add to Miami’s on Monday.
What to Look For
On a positive not for Detroit, Blake Griffin has continued to play well after a poor showing last week against the Boston Celtics. After a seven-point, 2-for-13 showing against the Celtics, Griffin has averaged 29.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on 49.3 percent shooting.
Also, the Pistons will bring a 3-1 home record into Little Caesars Arena on Monday night. Detroit has been nearly unblemished at home, but brutal on the road with a 1-3 record.
For Miami, guard Josh Richardson is coming off a career-high 32 points on Saturday in a loss at Atlanta.
Star point guard Goran Dragic will be a go for the Heat in the game. This will be a big addition, as Dragic is the team’s leader in assists (5.0 per game) and is the second-leading scorer, averaging 17.7 points per game.
Richardson leads the team in scoring with 20.8.
For the Detroit Pistons, Andre Drummond will be looking to rebound from a tough performance where he was bullied by Joel Embiid. Drummond was only able to get eight points and nine rebounds in limited action (due to foul trouble) in Saturday’s 109-99 loss.
Injuries
Dion Waiters has been out for the Heat since December of last season. In a huge loss for the Heat, Hassan Whiteside will not play in Monday’s contest.
Whiteside is the team’s leading rebounder and shot-blocker. James Johnson, like Waiters, is also out indefinitely without a timetable for return.
The Pistons are still without Luke Kennard. Fellow guard Reggie Bullock missed the game in Philadelphia on Saturday and is a game-time decision for tonight.