Pistons vs. Raptors GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More

The Detroit Pistons might have the league’s worst defense and one of the league’s worst records. But they also seem to have something few other teams possess. Some sort of karmic justice over the Toronto Raptors ever since the franchise to the Great White North unceremoniously fired Casey the same season he was named NBA’s Coach of the Year. You can’t say it didn’t work out for Toronto — Nick Nurse is a great coach at the helm, and the team won an NBA title. Still, karmically, the Pistons have won seven straight games against Toronto. Don’t ask me how; that’s for the universe to explain.

Game Vitals

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
Watch: Bally Sports Detroit
Odds: Pistons +6

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (3-11)
Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Bojan Bogdanovic, Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Stewart

Toronto Raptors (7-7)
Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent, OG Anunoby, Thaddeus Young, Christian Koloko

Pregame Reading

The Detroit Pistons are making changes to their lineup as they try and get more size and rebounding into the starting unit. James Edwards III reports Marvin Bagley III will start at power forward, with Bojan Bagdanovic sliding to small forward and Saddiq Bey coming off the bench.

Bey has excelled in a diversified offensive role this season, and asking him to anchor the bench offense makes a lot of sense. It also allows Bogdanovic to slide to a more natural small forward position.

The two-big lineup is not without its flaws, however, as neither Isaiah Stewart nor Bagley have proven they have a reliable perimeter shot. The lane could be quite congested while the team tries to figure things out.

I’m not the biggest fan of StatMuse, but when they hit, they hit. And following Joel Embiid’s 59-point performance against the feisty Utah Jazz, they hit the bullseye.

Of course, Embiid was not the only player to score 50 points on Sunday. Darius Garland of the Cavs scored 51 points against the Timberwolves, but Cleveland still lost the game. that’s gotta sting.

Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press takes a closer look at the return of Marvin Bagley III, and also how Bagley played alongside Jalen Duren and the associated spacing issues that could cause problems down the road.

The Athletic has a look at what Cade Cunningham’s current absence could mean for rookie Jaden Ivey.

Bleacher Report takes a look at every team’s best under-25 players and assesses their development. It gives Detroit’s Cade Cunningham a B-, but lays the blame mostly at the feet of the franchise and not its star.

News flash: He’s not floundering amid still-complex usage. Cunningham is draining 49-plus percent of his pull-up twos and remains a caps-lock PLAYMAKER. Detroit’s offensive efficiency improves by 16.4 points per 100 possessions, with a six-point bump in effective field-goal percentage, for a reason. Cade is viable lifeline—overstretched, perhaps, but a lifeline all the same.