DET @ BOS | IND @ BKN | LAL @ MIA | ORL @ PHI | ATL @ MIL | MIN @ LAC
Detroit Pistons (back end) at Boston Celtics
Team Totals: Pistons 103.8, Celtics 117.3
Injury Report: Pistons on a B2B, Jayson Tatum, (Q, knee), Jrue Holiday (Q, knee)
Pistons projected starters: Jaden Ivey, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren (Note: I think Cade sits in a B2B)
Celtics projected starters: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis
Bickerstaff quotes: Said they didn’t get home on Saturday until like 5:30 a.m. because of snow delays for traffic, said the guys didn’t have it, said adding the NBA Cup was a great idea but teams shouldn’t play B2Bs after NBA Cup games (they have it again today), said they’re trying to keep Ausar in those 3-4 minute stretches, said it was the “right thing to do” to sit Cade on Saturday, said it’s really tough to get so many tough whistles from the refs.
Mazzulla quotes: Said he doesn’t tell his guys who is getting minutes because he wants everyone’s prep to be the same, said they look at matchups on when they rest Horford and KP, said they played Xman and Queta to try to hurt the Heat on the glass, said Tatum was able to work through stuff to play on Monday, said Peterson can hit shots and he can defend.
Stats and Notes:
*The headline here is I would expect the Pistons to sit some guys. Cade Cunningham is right at the top of the list, and I could see Tobias Harris also sitting this one out. The Pistons continue to play some solid defense at 12th in D rating and they’ve been a top-10 rim defense this season. They’ve actually been very good at limiting C&S stuff as well and they’re one of the best transition defenses. Their big weakness is on-ball defense with the fourth-most PNR handler points allowed despite not really playing that fast. The Boston wings are going to get busy here. The Pistons don’t really have much going on offense at 24th this year, and it should look even worse with resting and tired legs on the guys who are playing. For Boston, their offense is still first in the NBA thanks to unbelievable 3-point shooting. The Celtics aren’t really defending these days at just ninth in the league. The Celtics give up the second-most PNR handler points, and they give up the fifth-highest rim possessions in the NBA. They take away 3-pointers with the best of them at just 23.5 points per game for the best mark in the league. The on-ball guys have to carry the Pistons here.
*We’ll see what’s up with Cade Cunningham, but the Pistons did scratch him in the B2B over the weekend. He’s been awesome all year with 17.2 drives per game, and he’s just seen his efficiency hold while his minutes and usage are up. The matchup is fine and the Celtics not having Jrue Holiday would work in his favor.
*If Cade did sit out, Jaden Ivey would be thrust into a larger handling role. Ivey is still shooting it extremely well at a 67.5 eFG% on his 60 C&S shots, and he’s been fine on the ball. His minutes may be held in check a little after the B2B, but this matchup isn’t too bad with the way the Celtics handle the on-ball guys.
*This feels like a terrible spot for Jalen Duren. Yeah, the Celtics do give up rim volume, but his defensive style feels like it’s going to be useless. No thanks.
*Jayson Tatum’s Q tag is legit, and Mazzulla talked about how he played through the injury on Monday. This matchup is awesome for him with the Pistons getting beat on the ball a decent bit. If he does go, I would expect him to be full, but there’s some major garbage-time concerns.
*Jaylen Brown didn’t seem affected by his illness on Monday, and this matchup is very good. The Pistons being more of a rim D and taking away transition does make this more of a slight plus spot. Obviously if Tatum did miss this one, he could explode.
*Payton Pritchard against the Pistons? This feels like a spot to sit Jayson Tatum and they might sit Jrue on top of that, which would mean PP is probably getting into the 30s for minutes. He’s on fire and this matchup is great for him. As Jaylen Brown mentioned, Fast PP could score 30 here.
*Kristaps Porzingis likely has a minutes limit on him. If Duren does go, the drop coverage likely means KP can really fire away from deep. I’d look for some 3-point overs here. For Derrick White, his value is a little tied to the injuries, but the matchup is good if he’s getting a larger handling role.
Great matchups: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
Good matchups: Derrick White, Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey
Bad matchups: Jalen Duren, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr.
Indiana Pacers (back end) at Brooklyn Nets
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