Pistons @ Hornets Preview Detroit Pistons(33-17) @ New Orleans Hornets(26-23) Series: Series is tied 1-1. Last Meeting: Hornets 99 @ Pistons 108 on December 29, 2003. Previous Game Cavaliers 85 @ Pistons 82 Mavericks 113 @ Hornets 104 Streaks Pistons: Lost 1 (6-4 in last ten) Hornets: Lost 4 (4-6 in last ten) Head Coaches vs. Probable Starters PG: vs. Billups vs. Armstrong SG: vs. Hamilton vs. Augmon SF: vs. Prince vs. Mashburn PF: vs. Wallace vs. Brown C: vs. Okur vs. Magloire 6th Men vs. Atkins vs. Lynch Players to Watch vs. Prince: 10.4 Points (.453 FG %), 2.5 Assists, 5.2 Rebounds Mashburn: 18.8 Points (.366 FG %), 2.4 Assists, 4.4 Rebounds Injury Lists Detroit Pistons Tremaine Fowlkes Lindsey Hunter New Orleans Hornets Courtney Alexander Bryce Drew David Wesley Keys to the Game <u>Detroit Pistons:</u> <ul> [*]Don't allow one player to beat you (The Hornets have a lot of injuries to their main players. The only real player left is Mashburn (And the all star Magloire), they cannot be allowed to win by themselves. If the Hornets want to win, the Pistons must make sure that everybody plays well for the Hornets.) [*]Don't turn the ball over (A real problem for the Pistons. For some reason they are playing really sloppy and the other teams are getting a lot of fast break points because of this. The Pistons need to play at their own pace and not try anything crazy.) [*]Dominate the boards (New Orleans has some good rebounders and the Pistons cannot allow them to freely rebound. If the Pistons try to get every defensive rebound and as many offensive boards as possible, then they should be able to cruise to a victory.) [*]Get good bench production (The starters are still iffy for the Pistons. Sometimes they have problems and need to sit down for a quarter. One thing that has been consistent for the Pistons is their bench. The bench has kept the Pistons in the recent games. They will need to continue to play well if the starters aren't effective.) [*]Play Larry Brown's style of basketball/Spread the ball around (The Pistons were doing this during the winning streak and then everything seemed to fall apart. The offensive consistency isn't there anymore. The Pistons need to keep playing their pace and follow Larry's system.) [/list] <u>New Orleans Hornets:</u> <ul> [*]Don't allow the Pistons to outrebound you (The Hornets are injured and will need as many points as possible to contend with the Pistons. One of the best ways of reducing the opponents points and scoring some more is with good rebounding. The first few games against the Pistons, the Hornets were able to get a lot of second chance oppurtunities. They will need to continue to do that tonight) [*]Guard Hamilton and Billups (Sometimes, these two aren't very consistent. However, they are the Pistons' main scoring options and they will need to be guarded. Opponents have forced Billups and Hamilton into making a few mistakes in the past few games and the Hornets will need to maintain that effort.) [*]Points in the paint (The Hornets will need to score some easy points. Recently, the Pistons defense has not been the same and NO will need to capitalize on any easy scoring chances they get. Also, they will need to try to keep the Pistons to as few points in the paint as possible.) [*]Have good games from Mashburn/Magloire (Without Baron Davis, Mashburn is their best player. He is still shooting a low FG% but he will need to play a large role for NO to win. Magloire (The all star) will need to keep playing in the same manner that he received his reserve spot.) [*]Try to keep Ben's production to a minimum (Ben is a force that can detemine the game. He can ruin almost everything for the opponent. The Hornets must try to keep Ben Wallace in bay and not allow him to go crazy on the glass.) [/list] PyroManiac's Prediction The Hornets are injured. The Pistons mostly are not injured. These two points will play the largest effect in tonight's game. Without Baron Davis, the Hornets cannot hope to maintain their level of play. Mashburn will need to keep the game close for the Hornets if they do not want to see Darko. The Pistons will need to come out strong (No more horrible first quarters) and play the whole game. Pistons should be able to cruise to a fairly easy victory tonight, maybe Larry will play Darko just so that he doesn't grow too impatient. Pistons by 11.
Great preview Pyro, I totally agree, the Pistons defensive play will shut down the Hornets defense. No B Dizzle either, they're as good as dead. Rebounding won't be too difficult for Big Ben even against Magloire and PJ. I don't think it'll be that easy, but I see this game as being closer then your predicition. Another difficult but well earned win for the Pistons. I think both Hamilton and Billups will provide some very clutch performances on the offensive end and Ben Wallace on the defensive end. Hopefully Prince will shoot well too in order to ensure a victory. Pistons by 6.
This will not be an easy game for the Pistons, Magloire and Brown are tough as hell inside. I seem to remember Jamaal causing all kinds of problems from the post in both meetings this season. With that said, Pistons by 7
Alright, alright, it won't be an 11 point game. I exaggerated a little bit. However, there is no reason that the Pistons should lose. The Hornets are a worse team with Baron Davis, and they should not be able to compete without him unless the Pistons let them. It will probably be closer (like 6 points) but I've had a bad week and I just wanted to predict a semi-blowout.
as important as it is to get a win, i'd really like to see them get some consistency through all 4 quarters. avoid the offensive slumps and i don't think there's a team in the NBA we can't beat. no more 11 point quarters!
The Pistons forum has the best previews! Ok, anyway, are you sure Okur is playing? I thought he had back problems or something...I don't know, just hearsay. The Pistons will want to avenge a tough loss and get back on track in this game. The Hornets will not be their dominant selves, but they still know how to play good defense and shut down the Pistons. They'll need to capitalize on second chance points and go for offensive boards in order to dominate. They also need to come out ready to play early, no more first quarter slumps that they have. I agree that they'll need to minimize turnovers. I noticed some sloppy passes in the past few games, and a good team like the Hornets will take advantage of that. I'm sort of having a lucky week, so I'll say Pistons by 7.
Billups and Hamilton have combined for just 13 points Baron Davis returned Hornets had 5 guys in double fiqures Okur is out injuried Hornets get the win That pretty much sums it up, Pistons suffer their 2nd straight loss As Indiana continue to run away at the top of the central divison.
Well, Memo had back spasms and was listed day to day. So I was unsure if he would play. Baron Davis returned which was unfair. I'm dissapointed that the Pistons had another horrible first quarter. They scored 18 points and gave up 26. You won't win too many games playing from behind the whole game. Pistons need some consistency. We are going to be killed in the next few games if we continue to play this way.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Jamal Mashburn scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help the New Orleans Hornets snap a four-game losing streak with a 92-81 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. After going 4-of-17 from the floor through three quarters, Mashburn hit a 3-pointer to snap a 10-0 Detroit run. He made two more shots and five free throws as New Orleans handed the Pistons their second straight loss. Baron Davis returned after a three-game absence (sore left ankle) and had 13 points and seven assists. P.J. Brown added 13 points and 14 rebounds for New Orleans, which held Detroit to 38.5 percent shooting. Jamaal Magloire grabbed 11 rebounds and Mashburn 10 for New Orleans, which outrebounded Detroit 53-42 and had 17 offensive rebounds for 17 second-chance points. Ben Wallace had 14 points, 13 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots to lead Detroit, which was hurt by a lack of backcourt production. Richard Hamilton, who averages a team-high 18.2 points, was held to four points on 1-of-6 shooting. Chauncey Billups scored nine on 3-of-10 shooting, including a meaningless 3-pointer late in the game. With Davis healthy, Hornets coach Tim Floyd looked for more production from his bench and started Stacey Augmon at shooting guard so he could use Darrell Armstrong as a reserve. Augmon scored 13 points and Armstrong 11, and the Hornets' intensity was steady all game.</div> Recap Box Score Well, at least I was pretty much right for all of the keys for the game. They outrebounded the Pistons and had too many second chance points. They were able to defend Hamilton and Billups. They were also able to a good game from Mashburn, especially in the fourth quarter. The Pistons won't win too many games if they have a 10 point deficit in the first quarter. We are playing Dallas tomorrow and we are going to get killed if we play as hard as we did today.
Another disappointing first quarter set the tone for a disappointing game. Times like these we really need production from the starters, just to go out and score early, and once again it didn't happen. Fairly discouraging, but they can't dwell on it if they want to go out and play a good game against Dallas today. Hopefully Memo will be ready to play soon. Darren McCarty had back spasms and he was out about three months.
