With an active holiday season for the Pistons, tonight Detroit will be back in action on the road once again versus a Western Conference foe– the Utah Jazz. So far, the Pistons are 2-0 on their West Coast swing and winners of their last three consecutive overall, while the Jazz are not in a period of particularly impressive form. 

From the Pistons’ perspective, Detroit escaped with single-digit victories in each of the last two games after building 20+ point leads earlier in each contest. While the Pistons may be forming a concerning habit of taking their foot off the gas pedal, Detroit was able to force turnovers and knock down shots when it mattered in both matchups. As the old golf adage goes, “they don’t ask how– just how many,” and that applies to the Pistons’ win total. 

In that respect, the Pistons are 24-6 on the season and remain in first place in the Eastern Conference for the sixth consecutive week. So whether by hook or by crook, the Pistons have been producing results and are in the midst of a Western Conference road swing to close out the calendar year. 

Tonight, Pistons fans should pay close attention to Utah forward Lauri Markkanen (if he plays) since he’s existed in the Detroit trade universe for the past year or so. This season, Markkanen is averaging 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, so his high usage rate as a stretch four would theoretically boost the Detroit rotation, but he’s an above average shooter as opposed to a lethal marksman. Markkanen is shooting 47% from the field, 34.6% from long-range and 89% from the charity stripe this season, all of which are efficient rates from a player at the four. Still, Markkanen is owed a lot of money in the future, and he’d require a significant trade package to make any deal happen, likely a larger one than Trajan Langdon is comfortable parting with. 

For the Pistons, Ron Holland recently underwent imaging after suffering a knee injury recently, and he’s day-to-day after sitting out Detroit’s last game against Portland. Other than that, the Pistons are a relatively healthy squad after a bad run of injuries earlier in the campaign.

Update: Holland will be available tonight. 

As for the Jazz, right now Utah is balancing a pair of long-term injuries and a pair of short-term injuries. As for tonight, Markkanen is currently listed as day-to-day since he’s dealing with a groin injury, and Jusus Nurkic missed the last Jazz game for rest purposes. Nurkic is expected to return, and Markkanen’s availability should be clear after shoot around later today. 

Over the past four games, the Jazz have been involved in four absolute shootouts, but they’ve been on the losing end of each contest. With an 0-4 record on the bounce, Utah is looking to restore some balance before they fall too far out of the Western Conference playoff picture. 

Last time out, the Jazz hosted the Memphis Grizzlies for what turned out to be a 137-128 victory for the visiting squad. The Jazz gave up 37 points to Santi Aldama on 7-for-13 shooting from behind the arc and were never able to match that type of firepower. Kyle Filipowski led Utah with 25 points and Keyonte George was not far behind with 24 of his own, but the Jazz really missed Markkanen’s offensive threat in the matchup. 

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If he plays, Markkanen is the most dangerous player on the Jazz roster from an offensive perspective, but Utah is not one of the more talented teams in the West. So, the Pistons could focus on limiting Markkanen’s impact while allowing other players on Utah to take open looks in comparison as one potential avenue to victory. 

But from a general standpoint, Utah’s chances seem to rest on Markkanen’s availability most nights as the Finnish power forward is an instrumental piece to the Jazz squad. If Markkanen does suit up tonight, he’s likely to see a heavy dose of Isaiah Stewart on defense, which is not a promising outlook for an opposing player. Beef Stew has stood as one of the NBA’s most imposing big men in terms of rim protection this season, but he’s agile enough to stick with Markkanen on the perimeter as well. 

A win tonight would turn the Pistons’ West Coast road trip into a bit of a heater. Whether or not Markkanen plays tonight is a big factor, but the Pistons have shown their ability to compete with any team in the league, so the defense-first squad that values interior scoring should be ready to go regardless of the lineup at tip-off. 

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