Jay Satur - Raptors.com
The Raptors look to clinch a playoff berth for a second straight season when they travel to The Palace of Auburn Hills to face the Pistons tonight (7:30 PM ET, TSN, TSN1050)
Projected Starting Lineups
Raptors: Greivis Vasquez (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), Terrence Ross (F), Amir Johnson (F), Jonas Valanciunas (C)
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Pistons: Reggie Jackson (G), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (G), Caron Butler (F), Anthony Tolliver (F), Andre Drummond (C)
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Injury/Roster Report
Raptors: Kyle Lowry - back spasms (questionable), Lucas Nogueira - on assignment with NBA Development League
Pistons: Shawne Williams - illness (questionable), Greg Monroe - right knee strain (questionable), Brandon Jennings - ruptured left Achilles tendon (out)
Game Notes
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The Raptors can clinch a playoff spot with a win tonight, but they won't quite clinch their third Atlantic Division title in franchise history. The Celtics kept their flickering chances at the division mathetmatically alive with a win over the Nets in Brooklyn on Monday, but they would need to win out the rest of the way and the Raptors to lose every remaining game for it to happen.
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DeMar DeRozan has put togethter a sensational month of March for the Raptors and will look to keep things rolling in his first appearance of the season against the Pistons tonight. DeRozan, who will tie Andrea Bargnani for fifth on the Raptors’ all-time games played list tonight (433), ranks eighth in NBA scoring this month (24.4 points per game) and has scored 20+ points in five straight games to tie his career-high set earlier this month. DeRozan is also working on his best month of the season in terms of rebounds per game (5.2) and assists per contest (4.0).
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The Pistons took the last meeting between these two teams at Air Canada Centre on January 12 by a score of 114-111, but the Raptors will aim to win their fourth straight meeeting at The Palace tonight and can likely expect another raucous "home away from home" crowd. In the last meeting in Michigan back on December 19th, hundreds of Raptors fans maing the short trek to see Jonas Valanciunas lead a balanced Raptor attack in a 110-100 road win. Watch more from this memorable game as captured by the cameras of the Raptors documentary series Open Gym: Presented by Bell below (mobile users click here).
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The Raptors will face a different-looking Pistons team tonight with deadline acquisition Reggie Jackson now running things from the point guard position. Jackson has flourished in a bigger role than in his time as a reserve with the Thunder and comes into this one hot. He's recorded four consecutive double-doubles, which included his first career triple-double (11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists) on March 18 vs. the Sixers and a career-high 20-assist perfromance against the Grizzlies the night before.
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The Pistons have won consecutive games coming into tonight's matchup and three of their last four games after losing 10 straight as they attempt to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive in the Eastern Conference. Detroit starts the day 12th in the East (26-44) and a full five games back of the eighth and final playoff spot currently held by the Celtics -- who the Pistons beat in their last game on Sunday.
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Detroit could get a boost tonight with the potential return of big man Greg Monroe, who's missed the last four games with a right knee strain and listed as questionable for tonight. Monroe has burned the Raptors with averages of 20.0 points and 11.0 rebounds against Toronto this season and is one of only 13 NBA players averaging a double-double this season (16.0 ppg, 10.4 rpg).