Raptors Cage

Game Day Preview: Raptors Return Home For Battle Against Pistons

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on pinterest
Share on google
Share on email

Despite falling to the second ranked team in the Atlantic Division on Monday night, the Toronto Raptors still remain atop the division standings. In order to keep things that way, the Raptors will need to get back on track Wednesday night when they take on the Detroit Pistons at the ACC. The last time these two teams met, Toronto walked away with 112-91 win. Since they’re still in the Eastern Conference race (somehow), the Pistons will be scrapping for a victory in any way they can get it. The home team has to be ready.

amir_JV_MonroeCage’s Keys to the Game:

Control the Glass:

In the previous Detroit-Toronto meeting, the Raptors won the rebounding battle 55-47. However, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond were able to grab 11 and 16 boards respectively. Though dysfunctional on occasion, this Detroit team can pull down a ton of rebounds if need be. It will be important for Toronto to limit second chance points by boxing out and matching up whenever shots go up. If the Pistons are shooting a poor percentage, chances are that Drummond will be looking to clean things up from beneath the hoop. Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson will have their hands full. Hopefully they’re up to the challenge.

Keep J-Smoove Out of the Paint:

Josh Smith is an incredible talent. This thing is, his shot selection and offensive decisions are questionable. Look for Dwane Casey to place some emphasis on keeping the forward out of the lane. For this to happen, Toronto’s wing players must find the balance between providing enough pressure to contest shot attempts and sagging off enough in order to be able to adjust if J-Smoove decides to attack the basket.

Defensive Rotations:

This is more or less continuation from the above “key to the game”. If you watched the Raptors loss from two nights ago, you may have noticed that the switches were a little late in crucial moments, causing the Brooklyn Nets to hit some big shots when they mattered most. Was it a lack of energy that slowed down the Raptors on Monday? Maybe. Fortunately, tonight’s game comes after a much needed off day in between matchups. If the Atlantic Division leaders return to form, they should be able to grab win #36.

X-Factor: Jonas Valanciunas

JV versus Andre Drummond. This will be the matchup to watch in this particular game. Drummond is having a monster season in his sophomore year, while Valanciunas’ 2013-14 campaign has been modest to some. The Lithuanian big man will need to stay on the floor in order to utilize his superior offensive game against the man in the middle for Detroit. That means staying out of foul trouble. I know that it’ll be easier said than done, but if JV finds a way to limit his own fouls, he’ll be able to make Drummond pay on the other side of the floor.

Authors

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on pinterest
Share on google
Share on email

Leave a Comment