The Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers are squaring off yet again for the second time in less than a week. Detroit muscled its way to victory in the first matchup behind a suffocating defensive team effort.
With Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, and Isaiah Stewart questionable and Ausar Thompson out tonight, Detroit will lean heavily on its chaotic fly-around hounding defensive style to force turnovers and get out to the races.
The defense needs to be especially sharp since Detroit’s facing Tyrese Maxey, who, along with Cade Cunningham, has arguably been the best guard in the East.
Even if the Pistons are undermanned, they’ve shown the ability to stay in games with the next man up. Their recent breakout playmaker is proving he belongs in the NBA full-time.
When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -5.5
Defense is the key for Detroit to move to 2-0 in the Emirates NBA Cup standings tonight. They trot out athletic wings that zip side to side and behemoth paint beasts who don’t allow paint shots. Per cleaning the glass, only 29% of opponents’ shots are at the cup against the stranglehold Pistons defense (9th).
Even without Ausar in the lineup, Ron Holland and Javonte Green are junkyard dog defenders who impose their will every possession with activity and ball pressure.
Matching up with Maxey will be a challenge for both, but they should embrace guarding elite players. Maxey is creating his own shot and playing off the catch. Half of his field goals are unassisted.
Maxey uses Harden-esque side step 3s that have him shooting 44% on 9 3s a game. His volume from 3 is near the top of the leaderboard (tied for 2nd with 44 made 3s). The playmaking for others’ leap in Maxey’s game should be noted. He’s scoring efficiently at an All-NBA rate and making the game easier for VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Kelly Oubre Jr.
If Ron Holland is the primary there, he needs to be aware of Maxey and his crafty ability to draw some fouls. The Pistons have an elite defense and foul a bunch.
Teams have a 29.3 FT rate against Detroit, which is 30th in the league. Ron plays his fair share in that. His 5.2 foul percentage ranks in the 8th percentile. Beyond foul trouble, you want to see Holland be a bit more assertive offensively if the lead guys are out.
Philly isn’t the most physical team attacking the rack with Joel Embiid out. Most of their shots aren’t coming at the rim. They rank 15th in team drives per. Maxey can exploit this Pistons fouling flaw, but Philly overall might not be able to.
The process of things will be different if Cade is out there, but Daniss Jenkins is showing he can contribute as a ball handler or off the ball. After shredding the Wizards primarily off the ball, Jenkins dished out 12 assists against the Bulls. His tape was littered with filthy off-hand passes, live dribble reads, and pocket passes in traffic.
Five of those 12 assists went to Paul Reed, who holds down he fort if Duren and Stew can’t suit up. Reed was shooting, dunking, and euro-stepping all over the Bulls. The energy he brings to the team is contagious.
Duncan Robinson’s shooting is stabilizing. The last time he was depended upon like he is now was in 2021, when he averaged over 30 minutes a game and shot 40% from 3 on 8.5 attempts. His 3-point percentage is even better so far this year (42.9% on 7 3PA), and Detroit is counting on it. Robinson plays better when he becomes an important employee at work.
All in all, Detroit is in a great spot at 10-2 despite the warts that have been pointed out. They’ve handled business early. That will be valuable down the road.
Cade Cunningham (questionable), Duncan Robinson, Javontae Green, Ron Holland, Jalen Duren (questionable)
Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe (questionable), Kelly Oubre Jr., Trendon Watford, Andre Drummond
How confident are you that Daniss Jenkins is a true contributor in the NBA?
