Pistons vs Pacers Prediction NBA Picks 2/22/24

Indiana Pacers (31-26) vs Detroit Pistons (8-46)

Game Info: Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 7:00 pm (Gainbridge Fieldhouse)

Betting Odds: Indiana Pacers -11.5 -- Over/Under: 247

The Detroit Pistons invade the Gainbridge Fieldhouse to take on the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. Here’s a Pistons vs Pacers Prediction.

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have been in a real funk as they've lost six of their last eight games overall and they will be hoping to snap a three-game skid after getting scorched by the Suns in a 116-100 road defeat in their last game heading into the All-Star break. Simone Fontecchio led the team with 18 points in just 21 minutes of action, Ausar Thompson added 14 points while Cade Cunningham and Shake Milton scored 13 points each. As a team, the Pistons shot just 38 percent from the field and 10 of 37 from the 3-point line as they struggled to match the Suns right from the start, falling behind by as many as 35 points at one stage, before they finished with a flurry of points in the fourth quarter to keep the final margin somewhat respectable.

Indiana Pacers

Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers have been in decent shape as they won four of their last six games headed into the break and they will be eager to maintain that momentum after sneaking past the struggling Raptors in a 127-125 road win. Pascal Siakam led the team with 23 points and seven assists, Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points with 12 assists while Isaiah Jackson and Obi Toppin chipped in with 15 points apiece. As a team, the Pacers shot 48 percent from the field and 17 of 41 from the 3-point line as they allowed the Raptors to get off to a flyer with 71 points in the first half, before they finally started to play some defense and held the Raptors to just six points in the final 4:15 to escape with the narrow win on the road.

Indiana Pacers Player Facts

• Tyrese Haliburton ranks 1st amongst qualified players for assists per game (11.7) this season.
• Pascal Siakam ranks 11th in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for FG% (53.5%) this season.

Detroit Pistons Player Facts

• Jalen Duren ranks 1st in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for rebounds per game (12.0) this season.
• Cade Cunningham ranks 3rd in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for assists per game (7.5) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Pacers rank 1st in the league for points per game this season (123.7).
• The Pacers rank 1st in the league for assists per game this season (30.9).
• The Pistons rank 30th in the league for steals per game this season (6.0).
• The Pistons rank 30th in the league for opponent steals per game this season (8.7).

Pistons vs Pacers Prediction

The Pistons could still be shorthanded with Isaiah Stewart still questionable, while the Pacers are keeping an eye on Jalen Smith who is questionable also. The line is quite hefty for this one, but this is the point of the season where we start to see the lottery teams really start to fall away and I think the Pistons are certainly one of those teams. I'm not fully sold on the Pacers at the moment, but I think they are good enough to get the much-needed win at home.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.