I was correct on my last Raptors pick (-11.5) as they were victorious at home 109-96 versus Boston on Saturday evening. I am now 13-11 in Raptors free picks. Tonight the 25-11 Raptors host the 13-24 Detroit Pistons.
(13-24) Detroit Pistons @ (25-11) Toronto Raptors
Probable starting line-ups:
Detroit – Point Guard – Brandon Jennings Shooting Guard – K. Caldwell-Pope C- Andre Drummond Small Forward – Kyle Singler Power Forward – Greg Monroe
Toronto – PG – Kyle Lowry SG – Terrence Ross C – Jonas Valanciunas SF – James Johnson PF – Amir Johnson
Stats Leaders:
Detroit – Points Per Game – Greg Monroe 14.9 Rebounds Per Game – Andre Drummond 13.0 Assists Per Game – Brandon Jennings 6.5
Toronto – PPG – Kyle Lowry 20.7 RPG – Jonas Valanciunas 8.5 APG – Kyle Lowry 7.6
Team Scoring: (with league ranking in parentheses)
Detroit – Points For (Per Game) – 97.3 (22nd) Points Against (Per Game) – 99.5 (17th)
Toronto – PF – 107.7 (3rd) PA – 101.5 (21st)
Overview:
The Detroit Pistons come in to tonight’s game winners of 8 of their last 9 games. On Saturday they were victorious at home versus the Nets 98-93. Point guard Brandon Jennings led the way with a double-double as he scored 20 points and dished out 11 assists. He was 6 of 17 from the field in 29 minutes. Power forward Greg Monroe also had a double-double with 16 points and 17 boards. He was 6 of 11 from the field in 36 minutes. Center Andre Drummond netted 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting in 28 minutes. He also grabbed 9 rebounds. Small forward Kyle Singler chipped in with 11 points on 4 of 9 shooting in 28 minutes. He was 3 of 4 from the 3 point line. The team shot 42.5% from the field, 33.3% from the 3 point line (11-33) and 73.1% from the foul line (19-26). The Pistons were out-rebounded 46-44 in the game. The Pistons and Nets were fairly even in score throughout the contest. The big quarter for either team was the 3rd as Detroit out-scored Brooklyn 27-22. Detroit is 8-10 on the road this season. They have won their last 5 road games. They have held their opponents to under 100 points in 6 of their last 8 games. Including tonight they play 5 of their next 8 games away from home. Their next game is Wednesday at home versus New Orleans.
The Toronto Raptors snapped their season-high 4 game losing skid with a 109-96 home win versus Boston on Saturday night. Point guard Kyle Lowry and reserve shooting guard Louis Williams each scored 19 points to lead the team. Lowry was 7 of 17 from the field in 38 minutes. He also had 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Williams was 6 of 16 from the field in 30 minutes off the bench. Power forward James Johnson had a double-double as he scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. He also had 4 assists and 2 blocks. He was 7 of 12 from the field in 36 minutes. Power forward Amir Johnson and center Jonas Valanciunas each chipped in with 15 points apiece. Valanciunas also grabbed 7 rebounds. The team shot 45.1% from the field, 43.3% from the 3 point line (13-30), and 73.7% from the free throw line (14-19). The Raptors out-rebounded the Celtics 48-43. The team had 2 big quarters, the 2nd quarter in which they outscored their opposition 28-17 and the 3rd quarter in which they outscored their opposition 35-22. Toronto is 15-4 at home this season. Tonight is the 3rd game of a 6 game home stand. Their next game is Wednesday at home versus Philadelphia.
In their first meeting of the season Toronto scored a 110-100 victory at Detroit. After tonight the 2 teams play 2 more times this season, January 25th at Toronto and March 24th at Detroit.
Prediction:
The Pistons have looked like a much better team in the last couple weeks compared to the team that started the season 5-23. Not by coincidence (in my opinion) their turnaround has come directly after they released Josh Smith. A few weeks ago this game would have been a blow out in favor of the Raptors. Now the Raptors have been on their heels a bit. I’m not sure if Detroit can steal a win here but I think it will be closer than the line suggests. Take the Pistons +6 (1.90) (Bet365)
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