The Pistons were short-handed against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, but their effort was still abysmal. They couldn’t be bothered to play defense as the Pistons gave up a season-high 147 points, The Goin’ to Work Pistons cringe at that final score.
Nobody expected the Pistons to beat a full strength 76ers team with the amount of players they were missing, but the effort could have been a lot better so it didn’t leave such a bad taste in everybody’s mouth.
The Pistons get a chance to redeem themselves back at home against a Timberwolves team they beat just a couple weeks ago with a strong 2nd half effort.
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
When: Wednesday, January 11 at 7 pm EST
Watch: Bally Sports Detroit
Odds: Pistons (+6.5)
The last time these two teams faced, the Pistons overcame a 14 point halftime deficit to steal a win in Minnesota right before the clock hit midnight on New Years Eve. It was a low point in what has been a disappointing season for the Timberwolves.
Not only were they blown out in the 3rd quarter, a quarter that the Pistons have not been good in the whole season, but they were also blown out in the 4th as the Pistons went on to win the game by 12 points.
That game was definitely a wakeup call for the Timberwolves, as they have won all 4 of their games since that game.
A big reason for the turnaround has been the improved play of Rudy Gobert, who had been struggling the whole season for the Timberwolves. His defense has not been as good as usual, which is the main reason the Timberwolves traded for him.
With Karl Anthony-Towns still out with an injury, much of the offensive load is carried by Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell, although it has mostly been Edwards. He comes into this game leading the Timberwolves in scoring at 23.7 points per game. He is shooting the ball more efficiently from the field as well as from 3-point range while increasing his volume.
The Pistons have no defenders on the wing to handle Edwards, so this could be a long night on the defensive end if he gets hot.
In terms of who will be playing for the Pistons, I would like to think a majority of the players that missed last night’s game will be back tonight. Given the fact that last night’s game against a full strength 76ers teams would be a loss regardless of who played, the Pistons probably used it as an opportunity to rest some players.
They were without Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, and Bojan Bogdanovic, along with the usual suspects Cade Cunningham, Marvin Bagley, and Isaiah Livers.
I would expect Duren, Stewart and Bogdanovic to all be back, and Isaiah Livers might even make his return, as he has been rumored to be close to returning for a bit.
At full strength, the Pistons can matchup with the Timberwolves as we saw on New Year’s Eve. If the Pistons are once again short-handed, we could be in for another long night. I would like to think the effort cannot be any worse than last night even if they are short-handed, but you never know with this team.
Detroit Pistons (11-33): Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren
Minnesota Timberwolves (20-21): D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, Rudy Gobert
Is it time to hit the panic button in terms of the Pistons effort and make changes beyond player personnel?