Matt
01-12-2008, 06:41 PM
TV: WDIV (HDTV) | Radio: WDFN 1130 AM - The Fan
Last Meeting: Detroit won 104-85 (December 9, 2007)
The skinny: Charlotte had lost seven of eight coming into the week before unlikely back-to-back Tuesday and Wednesday wins against two very hot teams. First the Bobcats ripped New Jersey, winners of five straight and seven of eight, at home. Then they really opened eyes, going to Boston – playing without Ray Allen and Glen Davis – 24 hours later and snapping the Celtics’ nine-game winning streak. They came close to making it three straight upset wins, but squandered an eight-point lead heading into the fourth quarter at Cleveland on Friday night and wound up losing in double overtime. That’s the good news for the Pistons – the Bobcats played heavy minutes on the road and had to travel back home into the wee hours of Saturday morning. Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace played 55 minutes and Jason Richardson played 51. Ex-Piston Nazr Mohammed has been playing very well for the Bobcats, averaging 10.9 points and 8.2 rebounds in 25 minutes a night while shooting 58 percent. Charlotte intended to make him a starter and used him that way for five games before deciding starting Mohammed at center gave Emeka Okafor unfavorable defensive matchups against power forwards with shooting range. So Mohammed is coming off the bench and the Bobcats have gone small in their starting lineup, swinging Gerald Wallace over to power forward and shifting Jason Richardson down to small forward while pairing Jeff McInnis in the backcourt with Raymond Felton.
What to watch: It will be the third game in four nights for the Pistons, who averted a three-game losing streak with a 10-point win at San Antonio on Thursday against the defending NBA champions, who had been 17-2 at home. Flip Saunders will be watching early for signs of a letdown – the Pistons had played three elite teams in a row in Boston, Dallas and the Spurs – and might choose to go to his bench earlier than usual, especially considering the heavy minutes the starters logged in holding off San Antonio’s comeback attempt. The broken left hand that forced Rodney Stuckey out of the lineup for the season’s first 25 games was sore after taking a fall in Dallas, but X-rays were negative. It appeared to affect his ability to handle the basketball in San Antonio, which led Saunders to activate Lindsey Hunter for that game. Ex-Bobcats Walter Herrmann and Primoz Brezec will be making their first trip back to Charlotte.
Last Meeting: Detroit won 104-85 (December 9, 2007)
The skinny: Charlotte had lost seven of eight coming into the week before unlikely back-to-back Tuesday and Wednesday wins against two very hot teams. First the Bobcats ripped New Jersey, winners of five straight and seven of eight, at home. Then they really opened eyes, going to Boston – playing without Ray Allen and Glen Davis – 24 hours later and snapping the Celtics’ nine-game winning streak. They came close to making it three straight upset wins, but squandered an eight-point lead heading into the fourth quarter at Cleveland on Friday night and wound up losing in double overtime. That’s the good news for the Pistons – the Bobcats played heavy minutes on the road and had to travel back home into the wee hours of Saturday morning. Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace played 55 minutes and Jason Richardson played 51. Ex-Piston Nazr Mohammed has been playing very well for the Bobcats, averaging 10.9 points and 8.2 rebounds in 25 minutes a night while shooting 58 percent. Charlotte intended to make him a starter and used him that way for five games before deciding starting Mohammed at center gave Emeka Okafor unfavorable defensive matchups against power forwards with shooting range. So Mohammed is coming off the bench and the Bobcats have gone small in their starting lineup, swinging Gerald Wallace over to power forward and shifting Jason Richardson down to small forward while pairing Jeff McInnis in the backcourt with Raymond Felton.
What to watch: It will be the third game in four nights for the Pistons, who averted a three-game losing streak with a 10-point win at San Antonio on Thursday against the defending NBA champions, who had been 17-2 at home. Flip Saunders will be watching early for signs of a letdown – the Pistons had played three elite teams in a row in Boston, Dallas and the Spurs – and might choose to go to his bench earlier than usual, especially considering the heavy minutes the starters logged in holding off San Antonio’s comeback attempt. The broken left hand that forced Rodney Stuckey out of the lineup for the season’s first 25 games was sore after taking a fall in Dallas, but X-rays were negative. It appeared to affect his ability to handle the basketball in San Antonio, which led Saunders to activate Lindsey Hunter for that game. Ex-Bobcats Walter Herrmann and Primoz Brezec will be making their first trip back to Charlotte.