Tonight at 10:30 pm the DETROIT PISTONS will invade the Pepsi Center at Denver Colorado to play the DENVER NUGGETS. For DETROIT it is the second game of a 3 game road trip, which started with a double OT victory over the LA CLIPPERS,99-96, and will end at UTAH two days from now.For DENVER it is the second game of a 2 day home stand, which saw them brutalized by the SEATTLE SUPERSONICS 108-88 in the first game, where they were simply dominated on the glass and allowed SEATTLE 10 of 23 attempts from 3 pt range, not to speak of the 12 steals they allowed.
DETROIT was similarly outplayed in their 2nd game of the season by the TORONTO RAPTORS, but only by 12, 101-89.DETROIT'S other three games saw them win by 8 over HOUSTON in the season opener, manhandle a PHILADELPHIA team that just could not match up size wise, 91-99, and the before mentioned double OT victory at the CLIPPERS.
DENVER, a very frustrated team at this point, started out the season with an 11 point loss to the LAKERS in which they never had the lead, a 94-92 OT win vs MINNESOTA, that saw 19 lead changes, a 24 pt and 11 pt loss respectively to UTAH in back to back games, and then the 20 pt loss to SEATTLE where they led early in the first quarter and never afterwards.
DENVER has a decent fast break game, but will be dominated inside by the PISTONS, although both teams are large. In my opinion it should be a defensive struggle through the first half, but the PISTONS will take charge somewhere through the last 2 quarters. and eventually hand DENVER their 4th straight loss, covering the conservative 2' point spread that the oddsmakers have favored them by.
Last year DETROIT beat the NUGGETS by 31 in Denver and led by as many as 38 in the 4th quarter. DENVER had no player in double digits and had 3 days rest going into the game. DENVER was favored by 2' in the game that was projected to hit 180 pts, but fell far short at 163, 97-66. They played 13 days later at the Palace at Auburn Hills where DETROIT, on 0 days rest, bested the NUGGETS by 19, 94-75, in a game that fell 9 pts short of the projected 178. DETROIT was favored by 7' in that contest.
DENVER will bring Andre Miller, Marcus Camby, Carmelo Anthony, and Voshon Lenard to the floor as they did last year, with the addition of Gregg Buckner and Kenyon Martin.
DETROIT will counter with Chauncey Billups,Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace and Lindsey Hunter, with the addition of Richard Hamilton who did not play in the games last season, and Antonio McDyess. These players have all had good success vs DENVER.
Big boys against big boys, it should be a great game, but I don't feel that the total will come near the 183 it is projected to hit. My best play is DETROIT minus the points.
"Everybody plays the fool, sometimes. There's no exception to the rule"
DETROIT was similarly outplayed in their 2nd game of the season by the TORONTO RAPTORS, but only by 12, 101-89.DETROIT'S other three games saw them win by 8 over HOUSTON in the season opener, manhandle a PHILADELPHIA team that just could not match up size wise, 91-99, and the before mentioned double OT victory at the CLIPPERS.
DENVER, a very frustrated team at this point, started out the season with an 11 point loss to the LAKERS in which they never had the lead, a 94-92 OT win vs MINNESOTA, that saw 19 lead changes, a 24 pt and 11 pt loss respectively to UTAH in back to back games, and then the 20 pt loss to SEATTLE where they led early in the first quarter and never afterwards.
DENVER has a decent fast break game, but will be dominated inside by the PISTONS, although both teams are large. In my opinion it should be a defensive struggle through the first half, but the PISTONS will take charge somewhere through the last 2 quarters. and eventually hand DENVER their 4th straight loss, covering the conservative 2' point spread that the oddsmakers have favored them by.
Last year DETROIT beat the NUGGETS by 31 in Denver and led by as many as 38 in the 4th quarter. DENVER had no player in double digits and had 3 days rest going into the game. DENVER was favored by 2' in the game that was projected to hit 180 pts, but fell far short at 163, 97-66. They played 13 days later at the Palace at Auburn Hills where DETROIT, on 0 days rest, bested the NUGGETS by 19, 94-75, in a game that fell 9 pts short of the projected 178. DETROIT was favored by 7' in that contest.
DENVER will bring Andre Miller, Marcus Camby, Carmelo Anthony, and Voshon Lenard to the floor as they did last year, with the addition of Gregg Buckner and Kenyon Martin.
DETROIT will counter with Chauncey Billups,Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace and Lindsey Hunter, with the addition of Richard Hamilton who did not play in the games last season, and Antonio McDyess. These players have all had good success vs DENVER.
Big boys against big boys, it should be a great game, but I don't feel that the total will come near the 183 it is projected to hit. My best play is DETROIT minus the points.
"Everybody plays the fool, sometimes. There's no exception to the rule"