Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic: Key matchups for the game
The backcourts
Tonight’s Detroit vs. Orlando game will feature two of the best young backcourts in the NBA with Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey facing off against Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs.
The first question will be who is going to guard who, as we may see Cunningham mark Suggs while Ivey takes on the quicker Anthony. This is one of the advantages Ivey provides this season, as he is lighting quick and has the length to be a disruptive defender against either guard position, which will allow Cunningham to move onto the slower guy.
Cade only averaged 7.3 points, four rebounds and 3.7 assists per game against the Magic last season, so this may be a game where we see him act more as a facilitator who tries to get his teammates going.
This is a matchup the Pistons absolutely have to win, as they are undersized against the Magic (especially at power forward) and will probably give up some easy put backs on offensive rebounds.
With Bey and Wagner likely to cancel each other out, this game will come down to whether the Magic bigs are able to impose their will more than the Pistons’ guards. I’d love to see Cade Cunningham playing more down low in this one, using his size to post up the smaller Magic guards and forcing them to double team, which should lead to a lot of potential looks for Ivey, Bey and Bogdanovic off kick outs and pick-and-roll.
The Magic have some good shot blockers in the paint, but Detroit can’t just chuck 3-point shots all night if they want to win. They still need to play from the inside out, but do it with the guards posting up and penetrating off the bounce.