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The Detroit Pistons are one of the hottest teams in the league. They’ve won ten of their last twelve games, and are attempting to solidify themselves as a playoff contender as we hit the midway point of the season. Tonight, they’ll play host to the Indiana Pacers, who have won seven of their last nine games, having beaten both the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers during that span.
The last few times these teams have matched up, the games have been chippy (to the say the least), with players regularly jawing back and forth and flexing their muscles after rim rocking dunks. If you’re in hopes of seeing a competitive regular season contest, you should be in for a good one tonight.
Playoff basketball vibes loading…..
Game Vitals
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -2.5
Analysis
As this article is being written, Tyrese Haliburton is listed as questionable with a left groin strain, but seeing how he traveled to Detroit for a one-game road trip, it’s likely he’ll suit up. Haliburton has been a big part of why the Pacers have played so well as of late. After a shaky start to the season, he’s seemed to have found his footing, as he’s averaging 21 points and 9.1 assists on shooting splits of 50/39/89 over his last ten games. He’s currently 6-3 against Detroit since joining the Pacers, but those Detroit teams he and his Pacers beat up on over the last few years do not resemble the 2024-25 Pistons in the slightest.
If Haliburton is a scratch, expect the bulk of their production to come from Pascal Siakam (which could be the case regardless of who is on the floor). Siakam has been the Pacers most-steady player this season, he’s leading their team in scoring, and has averaged 21 points (on 54% shooting), 4.3 assists, and 7.3 boards against the Pistons since joining the Pacers last season. He’ll have his hands full this time around, as Detroit should have both Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland ready to match up against the Pacers’ rangy wing.
Another unknown for Indiana is the status of Bennedict Mathurin, who accomplished quite the feat on Tuesday night when he received three technical fouls in a double-digit loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mathurin bumped into referee Natalie Sago after receiving his second technical foul late in the fourth quarter, which would normally trigger a one-game suspension, but there have not been any reports of him being suspended at this time.
For Detroit, it’s the Cade Cunningham show. If you know that, which you do, Rick Carlisle definitely knows that. Not only is Cunningham stuffing the stat sheet, as he’s averaging a ridiculous 24.5 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.6 rebounds, but he’s also making winning plays late in games, either taking over himself or trusting his teammates to hit clutch buckets when they’re needed most.
Detroit has found themselves in national chatter over the past few weeks, as they’ve been featured in national NBA podcasts and regularly posted on social sites like House of Highlights. Cade and the Pistons’ hot streak is the reason why. He’s nearly cemented himself as a first-time All-Star after dropping 36 points in Madison Square Garden this past Monday night, and he’ll look to build on that case tonight against a potential playoff team in the Indiana Pacers.
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (21-19)
Cade Cunningham, Tim Hardaway Jr, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Indiana Pacers (22-19)
Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Questions of the Day
Rank the top Eastern Conference guards from the 2024-25 season, one through five.