At first glance, tomorrow’s match-up between the Pistons and Wizards doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary. It is, however, Flip Saunders’ first game back at the Palace as he will coach against his former team for the first time. Reports surfaced throughout Saunders’ tenure that he didn’t have the respect of the locker room, so it will be interesting to see what type of reaction he gets from the fans and his former players.

Both the Wizards (7-11) and the Pistons (7-12) will enter tomorrow’s contest near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. While the Pistons are performing at the level most experts predicted, the Wizards have been somewhat of a disappointment.

Gilbert Arenas has returned to his old form, averaging 21 PPG and 6 APG, while shooting an even 40 percent from the field. The other two parts of the Wizards’ big three – Antwan Jamison and Caron Butler – are each having solid years, averaging over a combined 35 PPG and 15 RPG.

Washington is really missing sharp-shooter Mike Miller, who hasn’t played since November 21st in a loss to the Spurs. Prior to his injury, Miller was averaging a mild 10 PPG, but was shooting an amazing 59 percent from the floor, including a stunning 57% beyond the arc.

The story for this year’s Pistons team has been its constant string of injuries. The Pistons are without two of their starters, and perhaps their two most veteran members: Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton.

Rip has been out since the first game of the season when he tweaked his ankle. Prince went out shortly thereafter, logging only three games. Lucky for the Pistons, however, they have had some players step up to the plate.

Offseason acquisition Ben Gordon has been huge, averaging 20 PPG on 45 percent shooting. He also missed a few games due to injury, but appears to be well on his way to feeling 100 percent. It will be interesting to see if he gets re-inserted to the starting lineup or if Chucky Atkins will get the nod once more.

Rookie Jonas Jerebko has benefited the most from Prince’s injury. He is averaging over 25 MPG, which is impressive for a rookie who didn’t even know if he was going to be in the rotation. Although his stats are mild – 7 PPG and 5 RPG – his intensity and energy have paid off huge for the Pistons.

The Pistons’ other huge offseason acquisition – Charlie Villanueva – has had a rough year. He is only averaging 15 PPG and 6 RPG, which is down only a little bit from last year. He hasn’t looked too comfortable on the floor as a Piston, and his recent broken nose did not help. Villanueva has said that the mask he has to wear will take some getting used to.

The Pistons won the first matchup between these two teams back on November 14th, squeezing out a 106-103 victory in the final seconds in Washington. Charlie Villanueva had a huge game, going for 25 points and 7 boards. Ben Gordon led all Piston scorers with 29 points on 10-21 shooting, including 5-8 from beyond the arc. Mike Miller led the Wizards with 20 points, while Gilbert Arenas helped out with 19 points and 10 assists on 7-18 shooting.