Behind Drummond, the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, the Pistons led the National Basketball Association with 54.3 rebounds per game.
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The Pistons roster is built with a good mix of young talent and seasoned veterans. Myles Turner, yes, but more Ian Mahinmi and Lavoy Allen who will see major minutes against Andre Drummond, Marcus Morris, and Ersan Ilyasova, one of the league’s biggest frontcourts.
When asked how Hill can be viewed as a “big” part of the team, considering his status on the bench, Vogel reiterated his loyalty.
In summation, tonight won’t be easy for the Blue & Gold, but a 0-4 start would spell their worst since 1988 and the ominous atmosphere would be allowed to linger even still.
The Pacers managing to get the win sure feels like a weight lifted for a team looking to kick start their season, especially with how they carried themselves after Saturday’s loss to Utah. Also, what the Celtics lack in star power, they more than make up for in team play and budding continuity. “Rodney has shown in the past he could do that – he had a couple of 30-point games last year – and (if) we got that kind of performance from our bench every night, we’d be really good this year”.
On Tuesday, the Pacers lost their starting center midway through the first quarter and played at a disadvantage under the glass.
Atlanta, the number one seed last year in the playoffs for the East, and the Bulls, who are always near the top at the end of the year. This has to be something that this Pacers team and coaching staff can not be taking lightly.
He clearly wasn’t ready to slow down against the Pacers.
The five-man unit of Galloway, Grant, O’Quinn, Williams and versatile forward Lance Thomas has blitzed opponents (albeit in a limited sample size), registering an offensive rating of 122.2 as Fisher’s favoured bench mob. Each team was able win on the road once in the series. It surely isn’t the Western Conference, but it has improved nonetheless. It would likely take an injury to George Hill or Monta Ellis for Stuckety to become a reliable fantasy option. Paul George has looked a little off the pace thus far and their defence is suffering without the shot blocking presence of Roy Hibbert.
But they have the makings of a pick-and-roll beast, centred around Reggie Jackson’s penetration and Drummond’s ability to set athletic screens and roll to the rim.
The Pistons open as -5 point favorites for tonight’s contest and will look to improve to 4-0 on the season.
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Things were going swimmingly for the Pistons midway through the first half of Tuesday night’s matchup with the Pacers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI.
