Ausar Thompson is back. Isaiah Stewart is out. Cautiously, I consider that a net positive, considering the strengths of the Toronto Raptors, who the Detroit Pistons are visiting today for a little Sunday afternoon basketball. The Raptors go as far as their wings allow them, and having one of the best wing defenders in the NBA back in the lineup in Ausar is nothing if not great news.
The Raptors are coming off a win against the Phoenix Suns, and, truth be told, it’s Toronto’s first win against a legitimately
good team in a long while. January 25th, to be exact, when they shocked the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since then, their wins have been against the Jazz, Bulls, Pacers, Bulls again, Bucks, Wizards, and Mavericks. It’s important to beat the teams you are supposed to beat, but it leaves me at a bit of a loss on where to peg this Toronto team. The same can be said for the rebounding Pistons. Detroit had its first struggle sesh of the season, losing four straight, and they’ve bounced back in winning three in a row handily. Still, those wins were against the Nets, Sixers, and Grizzlies. I also don’t know if they’ve truly gotten back on the right track or if they just pounded some of the worst and/or most-injured teams in the NBA. In that sense, today’s game against the Raptors could be a great litmus test.
Game Vitals
When: 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -4
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (48-18)
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Toronto Raptors (37-29)
Immanuel Quickley, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poetl
