Detroit Pistons Perimeter Play Vital Against the San Antonio Spurs

The Detroit Pistons venture to AT&T Center to battle the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night where three-point shooting and defense will take center stage.

The streaking Detroit Pistons (29-30) and the San Antonio Spurs (33-29) are scheduled to meet Wednesday night in AT&T Center with tip-off scheduled for 8:30. Each team is coming in on unique ends of the spectrum.

The Pistons have only lost one game of their last eight contests, while the Spurs have only won one game of their last eight. The franchises met back on January 7th and San Antonio walked away victorious, 119-107.

In that meeting, both DeMar DeRozan (26 points) and LaMarcus Aldridge (25 points) led the Spurs’ offensive charge with no San Antonio starter shooting below 40 percent from the field. It was essentially the second quarter that turned the game against the Detroit Pistons as they were outscored by 14 points over the 12 minute-stretch.

Blake Griffin’s 34 points and eight assists kept the Pistons within reach, but could not get them across the threshold. San Antonio’s bench played a part in the win. The four-man bench outscored Detroit’s six reserves, 29-23, with former Piston Stanley Johnson, Langston Galloway and Glenn Robinson III scoreless on the night.

Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin were the Detroit Pistons’ biggest assets, per usual, and that will not change. Griffin has watched his role at the helm of the offense evolve with heightened responsibility doled out to the men around him, specifically Reggie Jackson.

Jackson scored 13 points the last time these two teams matched up. He’s comfortable in the system that Dwane Casey is running and has been a priority ball-handler during the Detroit Pistons’ ascension.

San Antonio Spurs’ forward LaMarcus Aldridge has had an up-and-down three games since the return from all-star break. In his first game back on the floor, against the Toronto Raptors, Aldridge only scored six points in almost 31 minutes, going 25.0 percent from the field.

His legs are back under him and in the two games since he averaged 22.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He and DeMar DeRozan are going to have to pull that rabbit back out of the hat.

The Spurs are 26th in the league at defending the three-point shot, allowing 36.4 percent from the long line per game. Pistons’ Luke Kennard and Wayne Ellington will have the opportunity to fire from deep against a flawed perimeter defense. Kennard averages 38.8 percent in three-point field goal percentage this season.

Over Detroit’s eight-game tear, the second-year shooter hit 47.5 of his perimeter strokes. Ellington’s quick trigger can be lethal, too. Almost 38 percent of Ellington’s three-pointers have sunk since entering Detroit’s starting lineup three games ago.

Rudy Gay came off the bench Monday against the Brooklyn Nets and likely will against the Detroit Pistons. The veteran has been instrumental for San Antonio this season, but was relegated to the reserve unit in favor of Davis Bertans at the power forward position. The Pistons have to keep an eye on him, because his consistency on both ends of the floor has been vital in keeping the Spurs relevant.

The Detroit Pistons look to extend their 7-of-8 game streak to include a win against San Antonio and continue the fight for the sixth seed that the Brooklyn Nets currently occupy in the eastern conference.