7:05 pm
April 1

Pistons @ Pacers

Who will WIN this matchup?

Detroit Pistons (39-37)

@ Indiana Pacers (45-32)

 

Current odds:

Detroit Pistons: (+190)

Indiana Pacers: (-240)

 

The spread for the game is Indiana by 5.5 points.

Detroit was held to 11 points in the first quarter and 31 in the first half before getting things together at both ends in the second half on Saturday. “It’s tough,” point guard Reggie Jackson told reporters. “Lose our All-Star, superstar player. I just commend everybody for coming out and still competing hard, especially after the way we started. It was a rough start.” Jackson led the way with 28 points and center Andre Drummond collected 22 points and 19 rebounds in the absence of Griffin, who is day-to-day.

Indiana’s players and coaches bemoaned a defensive effort that allowed 65 second-half points on Saturday but also stressed the need to keep pressing forward. “We just have to stay together,” swingman Bojan Bogdanovic told reporters. “Even with those two games we lost (at Boston on Friday and home against Orlando), we’re still in a fight for fourth place and homecourt advantage in the playoffs. We have to stick together. We know how good we are and can be when we play our basketball and our defense.” The Pacers are tied with Boston for the No. 4 spot but the Celtics, who visit Indiana on Friday, own the tiebreaker after taking two of the first three meetings.

The home team won each of the first two meetings, with Indiana running Detroit off its floor in a 125-88 thrashing on Dec. 28.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Indiana Pacers