Indiana Pacers vs Detroit Pistons Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 22/02/2024, 00:05  by Joseph King | Modified on 22/02/2024 at 11:00 in NBA Prediction

The Indiana Pacers will look to create some breathing room in a crowded Eastern Conference when they welcome the Detroit Pistons to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday. The Pacers find themselves sixth in the standings, a crucial cutoff point for the playoffs as it represents the final automatic qualification spot (seventh through 10th participate in the play-in tournament). Indiana’s 31-25 record gives them a half game lead over the Heat and the Magic in seventh and eighth-place respectively. They were able to enter the All-Star break on a winning note after recording a close 127-125 away victory over the Toronto Raptors in the teams most recent appearance. The Pacers have been in mixed form lately, going 5-5 in their last 10 overall. Indiana, who leads the NBA in scoring at 123.5 points per game, has seen a slight dip in their scoring output over the last four games to 117.8.

The Pistons entered the break on a three-game losing skid following a 116-100 away defeat to the Suns. It was Detroit’s 46th loss of the season, placing their record at a league-worst 8-46 but just a single game behind the 14th-place Wizards in the East. A silver lining for the Pistons is that they were recently able to record only their second sequence of back-to-back wins of the season earlier in the month with victories over the Kings and Trail Blazers. Both of those wins occurred on this current six-game road trip, which should give them confidence ahead of this one. The Pistons don’t see too much of a dropoff when playing on the road. In fact, they are actually averaging more points scored at 113.9 compared to 111.9 at home, while having an identical 4-23 record in both situations.