Warriors Should Put Struggling Pistons Away Early

Three months ago, the Detroit Pistons were the hottest team in basketball, even hotter than the 50-12 Golden State Warriors.

After being mired in a disastrous start to the Stan Van Gundy era, the Pistons had turned things around, inching toward a playoff spot. But they have come crashing back to Earth in recent weeks, losing seven straight and falling 5.5 games back of the eighth seed in the East.

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The most recent loss? A 93-85 defeat at the hands of the lowly Lakers on Tuesday night, and their reward is to travel up the California coast to Oakland and take on the NBA’s best team less than 24 hours later.

Yeah, good luck.

The Warriors enter Wednesday night’s contest riding high, as has been the case throughout the season. Winners of four straight and five of six, the Warriors are on another one of their hot streaks.

Playing seven of their next eight games at home, the Pistons are look like just another inferior team for the Warriors to pile up the wins.

Matchups to Watch

Stephen Curry vs. Reggie Jackson: In seven games since being traded to the Pistons, Reggie Jackson is already Detroit’s leading scorer at 17.1 points per game. The Pistons have lost seven straight, and although correlation is not causation, questions are being raised about the trade. In any case, Jackson is an exciting budding point guard and should be a challenge for Stephen Curry, who is coming off a 36-point performance against the Suns.

Draymond Green vs. Greg Monroe: As part of the league’s evolvement, many power forwards now have extended range and can shoot from mid-range or even beyond-the-arc. Draymond Green and Greg Monroe are two examples. Green has more range than Monroe, but both are capable of stretching the floor offensively. Defensively, Green will have his hands full with the 6’11” Monroe, but he is no stranger to battling bigger opponents down low.

Andrew Bogut vs. Andre Drummond: The Warriors selected Harrison Barnes with Andre Drummond still on the board in 2012, a decision that may come back to haunt them if Drummond develops into a special talent. Just 21 years of age, Drummond is already averaging a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) in his third season, piling up 20 rebound games like they’re every-day occurrences. The center of the future will face the Warriors’ center of the present — Andrew Bogut — whose energy and length will be matched by the Pistons’ youngster on Wednesday night.

Keys to the Game

1. Get in front early

This is a Pistons team that has lost seven straight and spiraling out of the playoff race in the East. Favored to win by double-digits, the Warriors should come out strong early and put the game away, especially with a tired Pistons squad that lost to the Lakers on Tuesday night.

2. Klay Thompson: Stay hot

Klay Thompson has been mired in a slump since the All-Star break, but is starting to come out of it, scoring 20-plus points in each of his last two games against the Clippers and Suns. Like all great shooters, he will have his off-nights, but this recent string of struggles has been a bit concerning. It will be key for Thompson to rack up a third-straight strong shooting performance and find his rhythm.