The Pacers are on the road to face the Detroit Pistons, with both team’s playing their first-game of the season. Tip-off for this season-opener, is set for 7:00 at Little Caesars Arena.

Pacers vs Pistons

The Pacers Are Looking To Start Their Season With A Win

Ranked 16th in our pre-season power rankings, the Pacers have a 64.4% chance of making the playoffs and a 6.7% chance of winning their division. Last season, Indiana finished 47-35, placing 3rd in the Central Division and 6th in the Eastern Conference. They were 26-15 at home and 21-20 on the road.

Against the spread, the Pacers went 42-40, with a 21-22 record as the favorite and a 21-18 mark as the underdog. Their games averaged 243.5 points, and they had an over/under record of 43-39, with the O/U line averaging 241.3 points.

The Pistons Are Looking To Start Their Season With A Win

After finishing last season with a 14-68 record, the Pistons enter this season ranked 28th in our power rankings, with just a 2.4% chance of making the playoffs. Last season, Detroit went 7-33 at home and 7-35 on the road, finishing 15th in the Eastern Conference. They were 2-14 in divisional games, placing 5th in the Central Division.

Against the spread, Detroit matched its win total, going 14-68, with a 3-5 record as the favorite. As the underdog, they were 11-63. The Pistons had an over/under record of 41-40-1, with their games averaging 228.9 points per game.

Pacers Offense Breakdown

Indiana enters the season ranked 4th in our offensive power rankings after leading the league in points per game (123.3) last season. They were 1st in field goal percentage (50.7%) and field goal attempts per game (92.7), and they ranked 3rd in possessions per game (101.2). The Pacers were 11th in made threes per game (13.2) and 10th in three-point percentage (37.4%).

Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton are projected to lead the Pacers in scoring, ranking 23rd and 38th in our league-wide projections. Haliburton is also projected to lead the team in made threes, ranking 16th in the league. Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith are projected to be 3rd and 2nd on the team in made threes, respectively.

Pistons Offense Breakdown

The Pistons finished last season ranked 27th in our offensive power rankings, averaging 109.9 points per game (27th). They were 9th in possessions per game (99.6) but only 20th in field goal attempts (88.2), shooting 46.3% (24th). Detroit struggled from beyond the arc, making 11.0 threes per game (29th) on 31.7 attempts (27th), with a 34.8% success rate (25th). They were 15th in both free throw attempts (21.7) and offensive rebounds (10.5), hitting 78.5% from the line (12th).

Cade Cunningham returns after averaging 22.7 points, 7.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds last season. He’s projected to lead the team in scoring, ranking 31st in our league-wide projections. Tobias Harris, acquired from the 76ers, is projected 2nd on the team, and Jaden Ivey is 3rd. Malik Beasley is projected to lead the team in made threes, ranking 35th in the league.

Pacers Team Defense

After allowing 120.2 points per game last season, the Pacers come into this year ranked 26th in our defensive power rankings. They allowed opponents to shoot 49.7% from the field, the highest percentage in the NBA, but were better at defending the three-point line, holding teams to 36.5% shooting (16th in the league). Indiana also averaged 7.7 steals per game, ranking 11th in that category.

Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner are key rebounders for the Pacers, who ranked 28th in defensive rebounds last season. Turner is also one of the NBA’s top shot-blockers, with Indiana finishing 8th in blocked shots. Last year, they were 23rd in effective field-goal percentage allowed and two-point shooting percentage allowed (56.2%).

Pistons Team Defense

After allowing 120.2 points per game last season, the Pacers head into this year ranked 26th in our defensive power rankings. They were last in the NBA in field-goal percentage allowed, with opponents shooting 49.7% against them. Indiana was slightly better at defending the three, ranking 16th at 36.5% allowed.

Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner are key rebounders for the Pacers, who ranked 28th in defensive rebounding last season. They were 8th in blocked shots and 11th in steals, averaging 7.7 per game.

Pacers vs Pistons Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Pacers have a straight up record of 2-8 while going 4-6 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 112 points per game in these contests.
• When looking at their past three home matchups, Detroit has an ATS record of 1-2 while averaging 101 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
• As the betting underdog, the Pistons have an ATS mark of just 2-3 in their last five games. Detroit posted a straight up mark of 1-4 in these matchups.
• The last ten games that Indiana was favored, they have an ATS mark of 6-4 while going 8-2 straight up.

Pacers vs Pistons Prediction

The Pacers is our pick to not only win with a projected score of 165-123. But we also favor them to cover the spread. Our bet is on the Pacers at -4.5.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 234.5, and our model predicts the Pacers and Pistons to score a combined 288 points. We recommend betting on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.