Game Preview: Pacers at Pistons

Saturday, March 11 at 7:00 PM ET at Little Caesars Arena

While there’s only about 20 percent of the 2022-2023 regular season schedule remaining, the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons still have plenty of minutes to play against each other.

The two Central Division teams have three more matchups listed on the calendar, starting with the first of two straight in the Motor City on Saturday. Indiana (30-37) will then play at Detroit (15-52) again on Monday before the Pistons come to Indianapolis on April 7.

Detroit has the worst record in the NBA. The Pistons have not won a Central Division (0-11) game his season and are 8-26 at home.

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Indiana will face a much different team from the one they took on in October due to both injuries and a trade.

Among the players who have missed significant time this season for the Pistons is Cade Cunningham,  the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, who has been out since December and will not return to action after he had surgery to repair a left tibial stress fracture. Cunningham was averaging 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists before the injury.

Another key player who has missed significant time for Detroit is former Pacer Bojan Bodanovic, who hasn't played since March 1 with an Achilles injury and may not return this season. He has recorded 21.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game this season.

Isaiah Stewart, who recorded a double-double against the Pacers in the first matchup, is also expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury.

Since the last matchup between Indiana and Detroit, a 124-115 Blue & Gold victory, the Pistons were also involved in a four-team trade that landed them former Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman and sent Saddiq Bey to the Atlanta Hawks.

Wiseman,  in his nine games as a Piston, is averaging 25.8 minutes, 12.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The seven-footer was the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft by the Warriors.

In the previous matchup between the longtime conference rivals, Bey had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Cunningham finished with 22 points, four rebounds and four assists and Bogdanovic recorded 16 points and five assists.

The Pacers enter the game coming off a 134-125 overtime win over the Houston Rockets (15-51). Against Houston, the Pacers went up big early before the Rockets stormed back in the fourth quarter to force extra time.

Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton scored 12 of his team’s 19 points in overtime and finished with 29 points overall to go along with a career-high 19 assists. Pacers center Myles Turner had 21 points, five rebounds and seven blocks and Jordan Nwora supplied 18 points off the bench for the Blue & Gold.

Also in the winning effort, however, Pacers standout rookie Bennedict Mathurin exited in the first quarter with a right ankle sprain and did not return. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said postgame he dosen’t expect Mathruin to play either game in Detroit.

Indiana’s offense has been humming as the season sunsets, averaging 126 points per game since the All-Star break. A large part of that can be attributed to enhanced play by Haliburton, who is averaging 27.8 points on 54.6 percent shooting, 13.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game during that span.

Detroit, which has lost 10 straight games, is coming off a 113-103 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. The Pistons trailed by eight after the first quarter and were outscored 28-27 in the second and 34-33 in the third before both teams put up 20 points in the final frame.

Jaden Ivey, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft from Purdue, and Wiseman each scored 16 points and Cory Joseph had 17 points in a reserve role.

Detroit shot 44.9 percent in the loss and made just seven 3-pointers total. The Pistons turned the ball over 19 times in the loss.

Pacers: G - Tyrese Haliburton,  G - Andrew Nembhard, F - Buddy Hield, F - Aaron Nesmith, C - Myles Turner

Pistons: G - Killian Hayes, G - Rodney McGruder, F - Isaiah Livers, F - Marvin Bagley III, C - James Wiseman

Pacers:  Tyrese Haliburton - questionable (bruised left knee), T.J. McConnell - questionable (sore back), Myles Turner - questionable (sore lower back), Kendall Brown - out (right tibia stress fracture surgery), Bennedict Mathurin - out (right ankle sprain)

Pistons: Marvin Bagley III - probable (sore right ankle), Bojan Bogdanovic (out - left achilles tendinopathy), Alec Burks - out (sore left foot), Cade Cunningham - out (left tibia stress fracture), Hamidou Diallo - out (right ankle sprain), Jaden Ivey - out (health and safety protocols), Isaiah Stewart - out (left shoulder impingement)

Oct. 23, 2022: Three Pacers recorded double-doubles and Mathurin dropped 27 points as the Blue & Gold earned their first win of the season by downing the Pistons 124-115 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana trailed 35-25 after the first quarter but held the Pistons to 21 points in the second quarter and 23 points in the third – behind three 3-pointers from Mathurin – to build an 88-79 lead going into the final 12 minutes of play.

In the fourth quarter, both teams scored 36 points as the Pacers held on for the win.

All five Pistons starters scored in double figures. Cunningham led the Pistons with 22 points, Bey added 20 points and 11 rebounds and Stewart had 11 points and 17 boards.

After Mathurin, who also had seven rebounds, Haliburton finished with 24 points and 10 assists, Jalen Smith had 19 points and 15 rebounds and Goga Bitadze – who is now with the Orlando Magic – had 14 points and 15 boards.

Indiana held Detroit to 38.9 percent shooting while outrebounding the Pistons 59-53.

TV: Bally Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)

The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, March 18 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>