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The Portland Trail Blazers will host the Detroit Pistons at the Moda Center on Saturday for their second meeting of the 2020-21 NBA season.
The Portland Trail Blazers emerged victorious in their first clash of the campaign courtesy of Damian Lillard's stellar 33 points and ten assists performance for a 124-101 victory for the men in black.
For the Detroit Pistons, it was the usual suspect, Jerami Grant, who sizzled with a 30 point outing where he shot 11 of 19 from the field.
Heading into this matchup, the Portland Trail Blazers have lost two straight games, resting 6th in the West with a 30-21 record. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons remain at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table, thanks to a 16-36 record on the season.
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Match Details
Fixture: Detroit Pistons vs. Portland Trail Blazers Prediction - NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Saturday, April 10th, 2021 10:00 PM ET. (Sunday 7:30 AM IST)
Venue: Moda Center, Portland, OR
Detroit Pistons Preview
Despite their lackluster showing this campaign, the Detroit Pistons have witnessed good outings from key players over the last few weeks. Veterans Wayne Ellington and Hamidou Diallo have increased production from the floor.
Meanwhile, Jerami Grant and Saddiq Bey continue to lead the Pistons as the top two players on a nightly basis.
After dropping one to the Nuggets, the Detroit Pistons bounced back with a win against the Kings in their last outing. Dwane Casey's side witnessed as many as seven players scoring in double digits to secure their 16th win of the season.
With Jerami Grant sitting that one out, Cory Joseph took over the game, dropping 24 points to go along with seven assists and three rebounds.
Key Player – Jerami Grant
The Detroit Pistons will hope to see Jerami Grant back in the lineup for Saturday's contest. He has proven his mettle as the undisputed MVP of the team. Grant has leapt forward this season as he continues to post career-best numbers across the board.
In his last appearance, Grant tallied 29 points in a loss to the Nuggets, where he registered a super-efficient 61% shooting accuracy from the field. He will have to play his part for the Detroit Pistons to bring home the win against the Trail Blazers on Saturday.
In 48 games, Grant is averaging 22.5 points on 42.9% shooting from the floor. In addition to his scoring prowess, he is also adding 4.8 rebounds per contest and 2.9 assists per game for the Detroit Pistons this season.
Detroit Pistons Predicted Lineup
Point Guard Dennis Smith Jr., Shooting Guard Cory Joseph, Small Forward Saddiq Bey, Power Forward Jerami Grant, Center Mason Plumlee
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers have lost steam of late, dropping three of their past four games to stay 6th in the West. Terry Stotts' side have not fared well against elite teams in their conference. They lost to the LA Clippers en route to another defeat at the hands of the West-leading Utah Jazz in their previous matchup.
In their loss to the Jazz, the Portland Trail Blazers shot poorly from the floor, finishing off the proceedings with a 39.6% shooting display from the field, while recording an abysmal 27% accuracy beyond the arc.
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 42 points on the night. However, they proved to be no match for the well-oiled offensive juggernaut that is the Utah Jazz.
As things stand right now, the Portland Trail Blazers are only one game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks (7th) and can't afford to keep losing more games with the play-in tournament just around the corner.
Key Player - Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard has cooled off over the last three games, at least by his lofty standards. He had a disappointing performance against the Clippers, where he managed to add just 11 points on the night.
He followed that up with a 23 point outing against the Jazz but shot a sub-par 25% from the three-point line, which is uncharacteristic for a high flying talent like Dame Dolla.
The Portland Trail Blazers will need their superstar guard to rekindle his MVP-type form quickly as they risk falling further down the table in a stacked Western Conference.
Lillard still boasts the third-highest scoring average in the association with 29.1 points per game. The 6x All-Star is also averaging 7.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per contest in 49 appearances for the Portland Trail Blazers this season.
Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
Point Guard Damian Lillard, Shooting Guard CJ McCollum, Small Forward Norman Powell, Power Forward Robert Covington, Center Jusuf Nurkic
Pistons vs Trail Blazers Match Prediction
Despite their losing record, the Detroit Pistons have managed to register shock wins against elite teams in the NBA this campaign. The Pistons will hope their role players repeat the magic from the other night.
Cory Joseph had a hot hand in their win over the Kings and could produce another big outing in this matchup. However, the Detroit Pistons probably won't take the win without their star player Jerami Grant hitting the floor in Saturday's contest.
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers can't afford to extend their losing streak to three games. Terry Stotts's men will likely do everything in their power to avoid losing to a team with the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Damian Lillard should be able to break out of his shooting slump and guide his side to victory with help from his backcourt partner CJ McCollum. The Blazers will also look to Norman Powell and veteran Carmelo Anthony to keep the scoreboard ticking with timely buckets.
Fans can expect the Portland Trail Blazers to return to their winning ways in this fixture.
Where to watch Pistons vs Trail Blazers?
The game between the Detroit Pistons and the Portland Trail Blazers will be telecast on NBC Sports Northwest and Bally Sports Detroit. Fans can also live stream the game via the NBA League Pass.
