Pistons at Raptors
The Toronto Raptors' stay above the .500 mark was a brief one - but they may be in for a swift return as they entertain the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Toronto saw its winning record disappear with consecutive hard-fought losses in Miami and Indiana, dropping the Raptors to 10-6 since trading small forward Rudy Gay to Sacramento. The Raptors kick off a three-game homestand against a Pistons team coming off an 89-85 loss in New York, its fifth straight defeat.
While Toronto struggles to regain its winning form, Detroit is looking to shake off its worst stretch of what has been an up-and-down season. Two nights after getting blown out by the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, the Pistons hung in against the Knicks but were done in by a 34-point performance from Carmelo Anthony. It was Detroit's first loss to an Atlantic Division foe, and dropped the reeling Pistons to a season-worst seven games below .500.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, SNET (Toronto)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (14-21): Detroit's hopes of reaching the postseason will depend greatly on how Brandon Jennings performs. So far, the new year has brought out the worst in the veteran point guard. After shooting just 2-of-14 for four points in the loss to the Grizzlies, Jennings was nearly as terrible against New York - making just 2-of-12 attempts from the field, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range, to finish with five points in 31 minutes.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (16-17): One of the unexpected byproducts of the Gay trade has been the emergence of guard DeMar DeRozan as a versatile option on offense. Known primarily as a scorer through his five-year NBA career, DeRozan has seen significant bumps in rebounding and assists while maintaining a top-10 scoring average. He was one of the lone bright spots against the Pacers, racking up 28 points while adding six assists in 37 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split four meetings a season ago, with each team winning once on the road.
2. Jennings averages 16.9 points on 37.6-percent shooting in 12 career games versus the Raptors.
3. Toronto has played the fewest home games in the Eastern Conference (14).