NBA Basketball

2026-02-11 - Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors

A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown

Detroit Pistons @ Toronto Raptors
United States : NBA Basketball
Wednesday 11th February 2025 - Scheduled 7:30pm
12:30am (British Time)

Preview

The All Star Break is coming up and that means the 'first half' of the season is over and teams are beginning to focus on what the future may hold.

For those at the bottom of the standings it will be all about improving Draft Position and just managing the roster for changes that are likely going to be at play in the off-season.

But for those higher up, the build towards the Playoffs will really begin out of the All Star Break.

Two of those teams meet north of the border when the Toronto Raptors (32-22) host the Eastern Conference leading Detroit Pistons (39-13). At the moment the Raptors are inside the top six and earning a direct spot in the First Round of the Playoffs, but the ambitions are to work towards a top four finish, which would mean having the chance to enjoy home court advantage for at least one Round.

The Raptors have won three of the last four games played, but there remains a feeling that they are beating up on the lesser lights and still struggling to match the top teams. This is another test for them in that regard against a Pistons team that have beaten the New York Knicks and the hot Charlotte Hornets in the last two games.

A lot of attention was given to the melee during that win over the Hornets, although at the time of writing the Pistons have not been punished by having the likes of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart being suspended for their part in the ruckus.

It should mean a strong Pistons arrives in Toronto looking to make another statement to a potential rival.

They do look to match up pretty well for the Raptors on the Defensive side of the court and that is going to be key for Detroit considering the efficient Offensive performances being produced by the home team. Challenging the Raptors on the glass is important, but the Pistons also like the kind of Defensive intensity they continue to produce as they put in the right building blocks to be successful in April, May and, hopefully as far as the Pistons are concerned, June.

Much will come down to how Detroit are able to test this Toronto Defensive unit and the important factor may be which of the teams is able to control the three point arc. This distance shooting is important for the Pistons, but they are not massively reliant on the three ball as has been common in the League in recent years.

However, they will note that the Raptors have struggled to contain that shot and finding the rhythm should just open things up for a really well balanced Pistons team.

Detroit have won six in a row in this series, although they have not met this season.

Prediction

There are plenty of games on the slate for Wednesday, but the NBA All Star Break is a distraction and some of the lines are hard to call.

Instead it may pay to stick with the motoring Eastern Conference leaders as they look to beat another rival.

The Toronto Raptors are overachieving this season, but they have struggled to beat the very best teams in the NBA and that may be at play again.