I recently moved from just outside of Detroit, and one anthem used to pulse through the city: "Detroit vs. Everybody" from Eminem and several other Motor City rappers. It speaks to the underdog nature of the city, and the tenacity of the people who come from there.
If the season ended today, the Pistons would be in the playoffs. In fact, if they went on just a bit of a run, they could move up into the No. 4 slot and get first-round home-court advantage. As far as I remember, I was one of the few that picked them to make the playoffs in the preseason, and certainly nobody expected them to have a chance to win a round.
Like the message of the anthem, the Pistons are an underdog trying to prove everyone wrong. But, how are they doing it? What is their team identity, and where does their production come from? Well, Monday's game was a microcosm of what they look like when everyone carries their weight.
It all starts with the man in the middle. Andre Drummond has long been one of the most talented big men in the league, and he plays like a throwback who lives in the paint. That's rare in this day and age. On Monday, in his first game back after missing action with a rib injury, Drummond turned in 16 points (8-14 FG, 0-2 FT), 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block (2 TO).
This is what the Pistons need from Drummond, a strong interior presence that owns the glass and plays strong defense. This leaves the primary scoring to the wings, where Tobias Harris and newly healthy Avery Bradley (available in 42.3 percent of leagues) did their things on Monday. Harris had 25 points (8-18 FG, 6-6 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 3-pointers, 1 steal and 1 block (0 TO). Bradley posted 24 points (10-23 FG, 1-2 FT), 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 3-pointers, 1 steal and 1 block (3 TO).
Harris has been pretty steady all season, but Bradley's scoring has been down, compared what he accomplished with Boston last season. He's been fighting various injuries for much of the campaign, but if Bradley can get healthy there's a lane to be found -- and the Pistons actually need his production. They needed it anyway, because they have no true offensive superstar, but starting point guard Reggie Jackson's injury has sidelined him until further notice. Just like last season, Jackson's injury has allowed Ish Smith (available in 72.3 percent of leagues) come in and produce. Last night, Smith had 16 points (6-12 FG, 4-4 FT), 6 rebounds and 4 assists (2 TO).
The other forward slot is usually manned by a role player. Stanley Johnson often gets the call, but he has been injured lately. Reggie Bullock (available in 97.1 percent of leagues) has been filling the spot reasonably well, with solid averages in scoring and 3-pointers in his last several games. On Monday, he turned in 10 points (3-9 FG, 2-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 3-pointers (0 TO).
Of course, the punch line to Monday's story is that the Pistons lost a close game on the road to the New Orleans Pelicans. That said, we got a nice cross-section of the fantasy outlook of their main players. If the Pistons are to make themselves competitive "versus everybody" in the second half of the season and, help out our various fantasy teams as a result, these are the players that will lead Detroit (and us) there.
Monday recap
Box scores
Highlights:
Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors: 11 points (4-11 FG, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds, 6 blocks, 2 steals, 1 3-pointer, 2 TO
Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets: 31 points (10-24 FG, 8-9 FT), 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 3-pointers, 2 steals, 1 TO
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs: 31 points (13-20 FG, 5-6 FT), 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 TO
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: 22 points (9-16 FG, 3-3 FT), 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 3-pointer, 6 TO
Lowlights:
Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 points (1-7 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 3-pointer, 21 minutes
Ryan Anderson, Houston Rockets: 6 points (2-6 FG, 1-2 FT), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 3-pointer, 1 TO
Monday takeaways
It was too difficult to pick a single highlight line from the Raptors, because four of their starting five had excellent games. DeMar DeRozan led the way in scoring with 35 points (14-30 FG, 6-9 FT), 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 3-pointer. Kyle Lowry turned in a strong 18 points (7-14 FG, 1-1 FT), 11 assists, 3 3-pointers, 5 rebounds and 1 steal. Jonas Valanciunas almost got the game ball with a huge 21 points (9-15 FG, 2-4 FT), 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 3-pointer, but Ibaka got top billing due to his whopping eight combined steals and blocks on top of the double-double.
The Nets, too, were balanced across the board. Dinwiddie clearly led the way on offense, but Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had a monster game of his own with 17 rebounds, 14 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. Allen Crabbe (available in 92.3 percent of leagues) was the third noteworthy player, with 20 points (6-11 FG, 4-4 FT), 7 rebounds, 4 3-pointers and 3 assists.
Aldridge continues to be the man in San Antonio with Kawhi Leonard (shoulder) out, as he has been all season. The real surprise for the night was Davis Bertans (available in 99.6 percent of leagues), who popped for 28 points (11-15 FG), 6 3-pointers, 3 assists and 2 blocks in 31 minutes off the bench. Coach Popovic clearly went with the hot hand, as the four starters other then Aldridge combined for fewer points (24) than Bertans scored.
Both the Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves had squads full of producers -- too many to name individually. Let's just say that all fantasy-relevant players on both teams had good games. Shoutout to another random Rajon Rondo (available in 41.2 percent of leagues) sighting, as he dropped 15 dimes with 12 points and 4 rebounds to help get the rest of the squad going.
The entire Cavaliers squad had a nightmare game against the Timberwolves on Monday. Love got the "lowlight", but any Cleveland starter could have earned that spot -- including LeBron James (10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 1 3-pointer, 3 TO). The only guys to post numbers came off the bench in garbage time, led by Jeff Green (22 points, 3 3-pointers, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 27 minutes) and Kyle Korver (19 points, 5 3-pointers, 5 assists, 2 rebounds). It's hard to take away much of anything from this game. Forget it and move on.
Anderson is a different story. He earned the lowlight by somehow managing to be the only Rockets player to get major minutes and not produce. Chris Paul led the equal-opportunity attack with 24 points, 9 assists, 8 boards, 3 treys, 2 steals and 1 block. Eric Gordon was right with him with 24 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 treys. Trevor Ariza woke up with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 3-pointers, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal. Clint Capela did his thing with 15 points, 16 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Plus, of course, Gerald Green (available in 65.2 percent of leagues) came off the bench dropping bombs with 22 points, 4 3-pointers and 3 rebounds.
Injuries of note
Anthony Davis sprained his right ankle on Monday and left the game, though X-rays were negative. He is questionable for Wednesday's game and, if he sits, DeMarcus Cousins, Jrue Holiday, Rajon Rondo and E'Twaun Moore (available in 82.1 percent of leagues) all become better prospects for New Orleans.
Kyle Lowry suffered a hard fall late on Monday, and had to be carried off the court with acute back spasms. His status for Tuesday's game hasn't been announced but, at the very least, it has to be considered to be in doubt. If Lowry sits, Delon Wright (available in 90.6 percent of leagues) is poised to get a larger opportunity after playing well in limited minutes off the bench.
Tony Parker twisted his right ankle on Monday, and was seen limping after the game. If he sits for San Antonio, it will again open more space for Patty Mills (available in 95.8 percent of leagues) and Dejounte Murray.
Analytics advantage for Tuesday
On Tuesday, the only three teams in the top-half of the league in points allowed are the Los Angeles Lakers (second-most points allowed, 111.8 per game), the Orlando Magic (fourth-most, 110.7) and the Sacramento Kings (14th-most, 106.2). The Lakers and Kings are playing each other, so that's the game to watch for streaming purposes.
The Lakers allow so many points because they play the fastest pace in the league at 101.5 possessions per game. The Kings, on the other hand, are truly terrible on defense (allowing a league-worst 112.2 points per 100 possessions), but they generally play slow. With the Lakers pushing the pace, combined with the Kings weak defense, focus your attention here.
Top players to watch tonight
With Damian Lillard (strained calf) out again, can CJ McCollum and Shabazz Napier (available in 92.7 percent of leagues) continue to produce against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder? Usually Westbrook squaring off with Lillard is "must-see TV" because neither backs down an inch. Can McCollum and Napier replicate any part of that intensity?
