The Toronto Raptors conclude one of their longest home stands of the season as they host the Detroit Pistons. This is their first of three matchups this season, and the last game for both teams before
the All-Star break.
The Pistons have had a remarkably good season, now sitting 39-13, placing them as the first seed in the East. They have been powered by the All-Star performances of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. Cunningham has been averaging virtually 25-10-6 while Duren is posting career numbers of almost 18-2-11. They eliminated any doubt they had in their roster before the deadline when they moved Jaden Ivey for the return of sharpshooter Kevin Huerter. They currently have a 5.5 game lead over the two-seed, but will look to keep that comfortable lead heading into the playoffs.
Detroit relies on physicality and toughness to earn extra baskets. Their offensive rebounding is good for fourth in the league, with 13 per game. Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson lead the way there. The Pistons also lead the League in steals, with 11 per game. This is a team effort, with 10 different players averaging almost, or more than 1 per game with Thompson averaging almost two.
Their biggest weakness is their 3-point shooting. They attempt only about 32 per game, and make only 11, the third worst in the league for those metrics. This is one of the avenues that can give Toronto the upper hand. Their defence has been phenomenal this season, and being able to “cheat” a little bit when it comes to long range shooting could give them an advantage. Help defence can be more aggressive, and they could even mix in some different zone defences that can help slow drivers and cutters. Most importantly, this can help them slow Cade Cunningham. In 34 of their games this season, Cunningham has been their leading scorer. He’s also an effective distributor of the ball, so being able to cut off passing lanes with a tighter defence could play in Toronto’s favour.
Most importantly though, their intensity on the boards will need to be high from the start of the game. With the size and aggressiveness of the Pistons on both ends, they will need to shut down any easy or extra opportunities. With Jackson-Davis an extra body to help (and a stellar first game for the Raptors), hopefully they will be able to shut the Pistons down. Missing CMB will be a loss for sure, and despite the hopeful nature of Poeltl’s status, it’s still unclear if he’ll step foot on the court to help tonight.
Of course, they have some momentum going into this game since the announcement of their second All-Star, Brandon Ingram. In what is probably one of the most heart-warming moments of the season, this video showed up on X from practice, the first moment that Ingram knew he was named a reserve.
This will be his opportunity to come out in a “I-told-you-so” kind of fashion to deliver a big win against the top seed in the East. After being snubbed initially, there was a fair amount of backlash and support all over the internet for his case, and now is the perfect time for him to show why it should’ve been him all along.
Where to Watch
Tune in to TSN at 7:30pm ET.
Probable Starters
Raptors: Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Sandro Mamukelashvili
Pistons: Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, Ausar Thompson, Duncan Robinson
Injury Report
Raptors: Chucky Hepburn (Out: G-League), A.J. Lawson (Out: G-League), Jonathan Mogbo (Out: G-League), Collin Murray-Boyles (Out: G-League), Chris Paul (LOL), Jakob Poeltl (Questionsable: Reconditioning)
Pistons: Ronald Holland II (Out: Personal reasons), Isaac Jones (Out: G-League), Wendell Moore Jr. (Out: G-League)
