NBA Matchups: February 14

Detroit Pistons at Washington Wizards

Team Totals: Pistons 107, Wizards 111

Injury Report: Frank Jackson (O, back), Saben Lee (O, G League), Luka Garza (O, G League), Daniel Gafford (O, reconditioning), Kristaps Porzingis

Pistons projected starters: Cory Joseph, Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Jerami Grant, Isaiah Stewart

Wizards projected starters: Raul Neto, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Corey Kispert, Kyle Kuzma, Thomas Bryant

Casey quotes: Said if a guy can’t guard his position then they have to find someone who can, said the turnovers were bad but he’ll “give Cade a mulligan” because he was out for a bit.

Unseld quotes: Said their first-quarter defense against the Kings was decent but they got killed after that, said they have to move the ball better on offense, said Ish Smith was not surprising at all with his pace and passing, said Corey Kispert is adding more to his game and is having an impact, said Ish Smith “has been around” but he “doesn’t want to paint himself into a corner” as naming him the starter, said he likes where Thomas Bryant is at on defense and likes how he communicates.

Stats and Notes: 

*Both of these teams are really struggling on defense this month, ranking in the bottom five in February — on a month’s sample they are in the bottom six. The Wizards are dead last in halfcourt defense at an astounding 109.8 in February. On the other hand, both of these teams are in the bottom five for offensive rating in the last month. Bad basketball! Yay!

*Unseld’s comments on his starting point guard are interesting. It feels like it’s just a matter of time before Ish takes over. With Kispert growing more as their floor-spacing wing, it just makes too much sense. The Pistons have no perimeter defenders right now, so a starting Ish could put up some big numbers.

*Kyle Kuzma will certainly get the Jerami Grant matchup here. While it’s a subpar spot, we’ve seen Miles Bridges and a few others go off. He’s likely getting a lot of attention, so I probably wouldn’t go there.

*It’s a pretty good matchup for Thomas Bryant. The Pistons are getting beat inside and they’re ranked 29th in limiting opponents on the offensive glass. The Wizards need all the space they can get, and it sounds like Unseld is committed to him.

*Cade is likely going to have some sort of limit on him here, so he’s a tough sell. The Wizards’ defense continues to protect the 3-point line well, but teams are making everything against them at 39.2% in the last month. A complete scorer can take over, so that could be Jerami Grant in this spot. I’d look to him over the other guys.

*Maybe Isaiah Stewart can get it going. The Wizards are struggling at FG% at the rim, and getting killed on the glass could set him up. He likely won’t run into foul trouble and this is a good matchup for him.

Sacramento Kings at Brooklyn Nets