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Pistons face Jazz in Utah on Friday
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox
Published: 1/13/2017  at  12:23:00 PM
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DETROIT PISTONS (18-23)

at UTAH JAZZ (24-16)

Tip-off: Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET
Line: Jazz -11, Total: 190

The Pistons may be missing two starters in Utah on Friday.

The Utah Jazz grabbed the attention of the entire basketball world on Tuesday night, taking down the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers at home, 100-92 (PK). It was a statement win for the Jazz, who improved to 24-16 (18-20-2 ATS) with the win and are now tied with the Thunder for first place in the Northwest Division and fifth place in the Western Conference standings. It was a particularly heartening victory, considering that Utah had just returned from a five-game road trip in which the team went 2-3. After two nights off, Utah will play again at home on Friday, this time against a Detroit Pistons team that has not had the benefit of rest. The game is the fourth leg of a West Coast road trip for Detroit and the second leg of a back-to-back, as they fell 127-107 to the Warriors on Thursday (GSW -13.5). With an 18-23 record on the season (18-23 ATS), the Pistons are last in the Central Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games out of a playoff spot. Detroit opened its road trip with a 125-124 win over Portland on Sunday (DET +3.5) and then a 100-94 loss to the Kings on Tuesday (SAC -3). Over the last five seasons, January games featuring a team coming off a road loss are 136-79 Under when the total is between 190 and 199.5. Since the beginning of the 2014-15 season, Utah is 20-8 ATS against teams with winning percentages between .400 and .490. For Detroit, PF Jon Leuer will likely be out on Friday night and SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is considered doubtful.

The Pistons are 21st in the NBA in offensive efficiency rating, averaging 106 points per 100 possessions. They fare much better on the other end of the court, allowing 106.7 points per 100 possessions (ninth in NBA). They play the league’s fifth-slowest pace at 94.1 possessions per 48 minutes. Caldwell-Pope (14.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG) is the team’s fourth-leading scorer, but lately had stepped up his scoring even more: He has scored over 20 points in three of five (full) games he has played in January, including against the Blazers and Kings. He exited the Warriors game after only four minutes with a shoulder injury that appeared to be causing him significant pain. Not having him against a strong defensive squad will hurt, as C Andre Drummond (14.7 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.3 BPG), the Pistons’ best player, is not much of a scorer. He put up at least 20 points in three of four games to start January, but has only managed a total of 21 points in his last two. He is fourth in the league in rebounds and third in offensive rebounding. After missing the first 20 games of the year, PG Reggie Jackson (16.8 PPG, 5.5 APG) is shooting 44.2% from the floor, the best such mark of his tenure in Detroit. He has had exactly three assists in each of the last three games, a meager tally for the squad’s ostensible point guard. SF Tobias Harris (16.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG) and PF Marcus Morris (13.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG) each shoot over four three-pointers per game but only shoot 34.4% and 32.8%, respectively. SF Stanley Johnson (3.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG) and SG Darrun Hilliard (3.6 PPG) will pick up Caldwell-Pope’s minutes if he’s out.

The Jazz hold the 13th-best mark of offensive efficiency rating in the league, as they score 108.2 points per 100 possessions. They sport an elite defense, fourth-best in the NBA at 104.4 points allowed per 100 possessions. They play the slowest pace in the entire league of 90.9 possessions per 48 minutes. SF Gordon Hayward (22.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.0 SPG) looked like a star against the Cavaliers, out-dueling LeBron James in the second half to lead his team to victory. He finished the night with 28 points (on only 12 shots) and nine rebounds. Hayward is scoring at a career-best rate and is shooting better (45.9%) than he has since his rookie season. Due to various injuries, PG George Hill (18.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.1 SPG) has only played 16 of 40 games this season, but he has been brilliant when he has been on the floor. After playing (limited minutes) in only two of 18 games from Dec. 1 through Jan. 5, Hill has played at least 33 minutes in Utah’s last three games. He has scored at least 13 points in all of them and has had seven assists in two of them. His scoring average will be a career high if it holds. At the age of 24, C Rudy Gobert (12.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 2.5 BPG) continues to improve as one of the league’s most dominant interior presences. He leads the league in blocks per game and is fifth in rebounding, and his scoring has gone up every year he has been in the league. SG Rodney Hood (13.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.0 APG) has struggled shooting in his third season in the league (40.8%) and is scoring less than last year. PFs Derrick Favors (8.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG) and Trey Lyles (8.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG) split minutes at the four-spot.


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