History on our side....got this from xxxxxxxx
History on our side....got this from xxxxxxxx
(Sports Network) - A game between two Central Division playoff hopefuls is on tap tonight at the Palace, where the Detroit Pistons play host to the Toronto Raptors.
Neither team has played very consistently of late, with the Pistons going 1-3 in their last four games and the Raptors losing three of their last five.
Toronto is in third place in the Central, 2 1/2 games behind the division- leading Bucks. The fourth-place Pistons are two games under the Raptors.
Detroit snapped a three-game losing streak with a 104-76 rout over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Jerry Stackhouse led the team in scoring for the sixth straight game, netting 27 points and handing out seven assists. Cliff Robinson added 21 points and Corliss Williamson finished with 17 points off the bench.
The 28-point triumph equaled Detroit's biggest of the year and was only the teams' third win in 15 games.
"That was a great effort for our guys," coach Rick Carlisle said. "I knew they had tremendous pride and that they were getting tired of getting their brains beat in. And if the headbands helped, I'll wear one, too."
The Pistons have won two of three and five of the last seven meetings, including an 88-84 victory on November 20 at Air Canada Centre. Detroit has also won 11 of the past 16 matchups, and Toronto has lost two of three and five of its last eight in the Motor City.
The Raptors enter tonight's game off a 79-72 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, ending a two-game win streak. Vince Carter dropped 31 points and grabbed six rebounds, but Antonio Davis was the only other Raptor in double figures with 10 points. Toronto shot a miserable 26 percent from the field.
"It's not my job to figure out what we need to do," Toronto's Antonio Davis said. "I put that in the hands of the coaches. Maybe we need another shooter on the floor."
Detroit has won six of its last eight home games, improving to 11-4 as the host. Toronto, which is 0-5 in Thursday games this season, is 10-10 on the road.
The Pistons own an 18-6 edge in the all-time series.