Matt Tierney - Raptors.com
After a welcomed three-day break, Toronto (34-16) is back at it tonight in Detroit (27-25) for a 7:30pm tip-off. The Raptors are coming off a win in Portland on Thursday while the Pistons return home after falling to the Pacers in Indiana on Saturday. Both teams will want to finish strong with each having two games remaining prior to NBA All-Star 2016 in Toronto.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Brandon Jennings – Jennings is one of those players who tends to bring their A-game every time they face the Raptors. Over his seven seasons in the NBA, the 26-year old has averaged 19 points per game versus Toronto. Only against Charlotte, Detroit (with MIL) and Golden State has he averaged more. On the other hand, Jennings has averaged six points a contest since his game-high 22 point effort in Toronto on January 30th. The Raps will be hoping he doesn’t awaken tonight.
DeMar DeRozan</strong – Since the end of November, DeRozan has been virtually unstoppable. He was nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Month in December and won the award alongside teammate Kyle Lowry in January. He is averaging 23 points, four rebounds and four assists on the season including a game-high 29 points against the Pistons in their first meeting. Tonight appears to be a favourable matchup for Toronto’s All-Star shooting guard. DeRozan will likely be aware of what Paul George was able to do to Detroit when they faced the Pacers on Saturday. With the absence of starter Kentavious Caldwell Pope due to a groin strain, look for the Raps to feed DeRozan early and often.
SHAKE OFF THE RUST
After stringing together a franchise-record 11-straight victories, the Raptors started a new streak last Thursday winning consecutive games. Their winning run came to an end in Denver on February 1st which represented only their third loss in 2016.
Approaching All-Star Weekend in Toronto and a busy schedule in March, the Raps received three days off ahead of tonight’s matchup in Detroit.
It is only the fourth time this season where the team has had three days off in between games, two of those being on the front and tail end of their trip to England.
The key is how teams react to pockets of time off during a busy NBA Season. Sometimes the extra days can help if you are dealing with injuries or fatigue however others may see it as a disruption to their rhythm and preparation.
Toronto has performed well when presented with an extended break. The team is 6-1 this season on two or more days rest.
With only a visit to Minnesota remaining after tonight, the Raps are faced with the possibility of entering the All-Star break an impressive 20 games above .500.