Raptors at Detroit Pistons: Preview & 3 keys to victory
By Brian Boake
The Raptors have a pair of road games to play prior to the All-Star break. Can they continue their winning ways in Michigan?
The Toronto Raptors are making up for lost time in playing the Detroit Pistons. This is the second of three games in 29 days against the men from the Motor City. The first was a nail-biting affair during the winning streak at the Air Canada Centre. Since then, Detroit has lost the services of improving guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, which is severely damaging to their post-season hopes. The Pistons, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2008-09, are clinging to the Eastern Conference’s final seed with a 27-25 record. The Charlotte Hornets are nipping at their heels.
Promoted to the first unit is rookie Stanley Johnson. He appears a solid offensive player to these eyes, but will need help on defense, otherwise DeMar DeRozan will give him grief. Johnson’s backcourt mate is Reggie Jackson, a speedy high-scoring whirligig. Ersan Ilyasova is named at one forward spot, but never appeared in the game in Toronto, despite being named then too. If he plays, he can help the Pistons as a tough-minded 3 & D man, but I’ve seen him sleepwalk as well. The other forward is the other Morris, Markieff’s twin Marcus. He’s a consistent if unexciting contributor.
The big name, and the big man, in the Pistons’ lineup is centre Andre Drummond. He leads the NBA in double-doubles (43), rebounds per game (14.9), and bricked free-throws (too many to count…well, OK, 263, which is more than the vast majority of players have attempted). I don’t set out to embarrass anyone when I write these things, but his failures at the charity stripe impact Raptors defensive tactics and so must be mentioned.
The Pistons are also missing Jody Meeks, whose career is in jeopardy because of a foot injury. Their bench is short as a result. We’ll see Brandon Jennings for sure, who plagued the Raptors in the first meeting with accurate shooting from deep. Aron Baynes has earned more minutes, and will likely be the first big man off the pine. Darun Hilliard is a rookie swingman from Kyle Lowry’s alma mater, Villanova. He seems to be gaining the approval of coach Stan Van Gundy, who like many veteran bench bosses doesn’t enjoy playing kids. Anthony Tolliver is on his eighth NBA team, which tells you all you need to know.
The Raptors are still without James Johnson and DeMarre Carroll, but have won 13 of 14 games. They can take this one as well if they…:
- …get Drummond in foul trouble. He managed the difficult feat of fouling out in Toronto despite having no fouls in the first half. He’s not an elite shot blocker (his 1.5 per game is matched by Bismack Biyombo in one-third fewer minutes), but is a shot-changer. Regardless, DeMar, Jonas Valanciunas and even tiny Lowry need to penetrate the paint and challenge him.
- …slow the pace. Jackson at the point is super-fast, so the Raptors will need to rotate effectively to keep him outside. If he penetrates, he’ll find Drummond for easy scores.
- …close out on their shooters. The Pistons are ninth in 3-point attempts, though bottom third in percentage. There are no Steph Currys on Detroit; if you bother them, they will miss.
I don’t expect this to be a pretty game. The Raptors will grind out a 99-95 win.