The Detroit Pistons had their four-game home unbeaten run snapped on Friday with a 103-92 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Pistons had difficulty stopping MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard who scored 32 points. As a result of that loss, the Pistons now own just a half-game advantage for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
It won’t get any easier for the Pistons this coming Sunday as standing in their way are the well-rested Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have had three days off before their scheduled clash this weekend. For the Pistons to grab the much-needed victory, they will need to dictate the tempo and slow the pace down. They can ill afford to engage Toronto in a shooting contest. The Pistons are ranked 24th in scoring with a 101.5 PPG average this campaign.
What’s keeping Detroit afloat this season is its stingy defense. The Pistons are sixth in the NBA in scoring defense, surrendering just 101.9 points per game this season. They will have their work cut out for them, however, against a Toronto side that’s averaging 109.2 points per game, fifth-highest in the NBA this campaign.
The Toronto Raptors had their two-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday with a gut-wrenching 112-109 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Raptors simply had no answer for Andrew Wiggins who exploded for a game-high 31 points. It was a disappointing defeat for the Raptors who have dropped nine of their past 13 games and have a record of just 10-12 since January 1.
They will look to get their season back on track when they lock horns with Detroit this coming Sunday. The Raptors will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have fared extremely well against the Pistons at home of late. The Raptors have won five of their last six home games against the Pistons, including each of their last three meetings at Air Canada Centre.
It’s paramount for the Raptors that they play consistent basketball the entire 48 minutes against the Pistons. They had a great opportunity to record a third straight win against Minnesota but unfortunately collapsed down the stretch. The Raptors squandered a huge 13-point advantage in the first half as their porous defense reared its ugly head once again. The Raptors lost for just the fifth time this year when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
Writer’s Prediction
Toronto (-6.5) not only wins but also covers the spread against Detroit.
