Cade Cunningham and Pascal Siakam will face off Wednesday in Indiana.
The Pistons and Pacers will close their season series tonight after Indiana won two of the first three meetings.
Detroit is amid a turnaround season as they look for their 24th win of 2024-25. Standing in their way is one of the hotter teams in the league, the Pacers, who have won eight of their last 10 games.
Here are five things to know before tip-off:
1. This completes the season series: There will be plenty of familiarity when these teams take the floor, as they’ve faced off three times already this year. The Pacers hold a 2-1 advantage, winning their most recent encounter earlier this month. Detroit boasts the largest margin of victory out of their three meetings, however, with a 130-106 victory in late November.
2. Indiana’s offense finding its gear: Over the past ten games, the Pacers have been one of the league’s top offenses, posting top ten marks in points per game, field goal percentage and assists as a team. Pascal Siakam has remained the team’s lead scorer, both over this stretch and on the season (20.2).
3. Detroit’s advantage on the glass: The Pistons hold one key edge over the Pacers statically, and that’s rebounding. Indiana is in the bottom five for rebounds per game in the league (41.8), while Detroit is 10th best (45). Jalen Duren is the primary concern as he’s averaged more than 111 boards a game over the last month.
4. Pistons piling up clutch wins: Only five teams have 14 or more clutch wins this season – the Rockets, Suns, Cavaliers, Hawks and Pistons. Indiana has 10, but has played in eight fewer qualifying games. Detroit’s most recent clutch win came against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden earlier this month.
5. Pacers bench returning to full strength: Indiana’s depth is something that could be key in tonight’s matchup. Aaron Nesmith is back after missing 35 games due to an ankle injury. His minutes have grown in each of his four appearances since returning. He joins TJ McConnell, Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard in the Pacers’ second unit. Indiana is 10th in bench scoring this season (37.6), only two spots behind the Pistons (37.9).
