One of the worst parts of being terrible for the last five years is that the Detroit Pistons didn’t have any real rivalries and why would they?
They were too awful to care about, there was no consistency with their roster and other teams didn’t have to worry much about the Pistons.
That has changed this year now that Detroit is at least back to respectability and they didn’t take long to re-ignite one of the best rivalries in team history against division foe Indiana Pacers.
The two teams legitimately do not like each other, which we saw in their last meeting, which featured physical play, hard fouls and plenty of talking both during and after the game.
This is one the Pistons have had circled on their calendars.
Detroit has dropped to the 8th seed in the constantly shifting Eastern Conference after losing two straight, so this would be a great way to get back on track before a lengthy home stand.
The Pistons are 1-2 against Indiana this season, so the Pacers currently own any tiebreaker, as they are decided by head-to-head matchups. Even if the Pistons win this one, the tiebreaker will most likely go to the Pacers, as it will next be decided by division record if neither team wins the division outright.
Currently, the Pistons are just 1-7 in division play and the Pacers are 5-4, so it would take a big turnaround to catch them.
But a win tonight could put the Pistons back in the playoff picture before a crucial 6-game home stand that will take us to the trade deadline.
Pistons injuries vs. Pacers
The Pistons are missing Jaden Ivey, who loves playing in Indiana, so that is a shame. There has still been no update on his leg injury, but that should be coming soon, as he was set to be re-evaluated after four weeks and that’s where we are.
The Pacers will be missing James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson and Andrew Nembhard is listed as questionable for tonight’s game in the Hoosier state.
How to watch Pistons vs. Pacers
The 7:00 PM ET tip-off in Indiana will be shown on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit or you can listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket.
There are plenty of legal (and otherwise) streaming options, you can find the legal ones here.
Keys against the Pacers
The Pistons need to play under control and can’t let their emotions get to them early, as they can’t get into foul trouble.
Given that he absolutely killed the Pistons in the last game, stopping Myles Turner from getting wide-open 3-point looks has to be a priority and that is on Jalen Duren.
Duren has been improved of late, but still has trouble finding his man in transition, as he often just runs straight to the rim. Turner was just breaking half court late as the trailer and lining up wide-open shots all night and that has to stop.
The second key will be winning the battle of the bench, as both Mathurin and McConnell (ugh, god I hate him) have had big games against the Pistons this year, so who is going to step up and have one for Detroit?