After coming off a much-needed win against the Denver Nuggets yesterday, the Detroit Pistons turn around and travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the new-looked New York Knicks tonight at 7 p.m.
Right now, the Detroit Pistons are currently in the ninth spot in the East with s 23-29 record. The team is 2.5 games out of eighth which is held by the Miami Heat.
That dominating win yesterday against Denver, who was the top team in the West at the time, was exactly what Detroit needed.
For those who may not know, the Knicks made a big move this past week involving their top player. The team decided to trade away Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks to team up with rookie sensation Luka Doncic.
The Knicks also sent Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke and Courtney Lee to Dallas for Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., and DeAndre Jordan.
With that being said, Detroit will face a different New York team than when they defeated them back in November.
This will be the second meeting between both teams and every game is crucial for Detroit if they want to continue to contend for a playoff spot.
This is what we’ve been waiting for from Detroit since the start of the new year, a team performance. If Detroit can continue to have games like the one against Denver, this will be a playoff team for sure.
Detroit’s game plan against New York
New York has struggled this season as their record shows. The team is currently in last place in the East with a 10-42 record.
New York is also on a 13 game losing streak. Not where you want to be if you are a New York fan, but the Knicks are gearing for the future.
Detroit will look to add to New York’s losing streak tonight. Back in November, Detroit defeated New York 115-108 at Little Caesars Arena, with big performances from Blake Griffin, Reggie Jackson, and Stanley Johnson.
Griffin had a game high 30 points and both Jackson and Johnson had 21 points a piece.
Both team’s are close in points per game with New York at 105.6 and Detroit at 106. The offense will have to be on point tonight for Detroit and I have a feeling, the offensive performance from last night will carry over into tonight’s game.
Detroit will need to exploit the defense of New York. New York is third in the East in opponents points per game at 114.6.
If Detroit can get out to a hot start and control the tempo of the game, the team will walk out of Madison Square Garden with a smile on their faces.
Expect Griffin to have an exceptional game for Detroit. With the much-needed rest he got last night in the fourth quarter, he will be energized tonight for Dwayne Casey.
Andre Drummond will have his work cut out for him tonight as he will match up against Enes Kanter. But Drummond will have a good night, especially on the glass as he will flirt with another double-double performance.
Detroit’s bench has been the deciding factor in games. If you watched the game last night, you witnessed a great performance from the bench as they combined to score 60 points.
Three players scored double digits off the bench. Johnson led the way with 21 points shooting 70% from the field and 80% from beyond the arc.
Langston Galloway shot the ball well as he contributed with 18 points and Luke Kennard added 14 points.
If Detroit’s bench can be consistent like this, it will be tough for opponents to handle that offense, especially with Griffin leading the way.
Watch out for Detroit’s bench tonight, if they come out to play and have another solid performance, Detroit will win their second game in a row.