Detroit Pistons @ Indiana Pacers

8:00 PM EST, ESPN – Line:  -,  Over/Under:

Dogged by injuries earlier in the season, Jackson must raise his game if the Pistons are to return to the Playoffs for a second consecutive season.

A pair of division rivals on the fringes of the Eastern Conference Playoffs look to strengthen their respective resumes, as the Indiana Pacers host the Detroit Pistons at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  After returning to the Postseason for the first time in seven years, the Pistons (31-32, 7th in Eastern Conference) have failed to meet expectations in 2016-2017, as a very uneven campaign has them currently sitting in the Seventh Seed in the East’s pecking order, yet are dangerously close to falling out altogether, as they lead the surging Miami Heat (currently Ninth) by just one game in the standings.  In fact, this last month figures to be quite chaotic, as six different teams are fighting for three spots, with just four games separating them.   There were a bevy of rumors out of Detroit that Stan Van Gundy was frantically looking to enhance his roster at the Trade Deadline, going so far as to even offering young stars such as Andre Drummond (14.6 PTS, 53.0% FG, 13.8 REB, 1.0 AST, 1.7 STL, 1.2 BLK) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (14.5 PTS, 41.1% FG, 37.4% 3FG, 3.4 REB, 2.7 AST, 1.3 STL) in return for a superstar, but eventually came to his senses and felt that it would make more sense to explore just how far this group (as currently comprised) could go, and mostly because he and the Franchise continue to be shackled by Point Guard Reggie Jackson’s (15.1 PTS, 43.2% FG, 36.5% 3FG, 2.2 REB, 5.4 AST) bloated contract, which is a story for another day.  With that said, perhaps the threat of breaking up their nucleus was enough to motivate the troops, who since the All-Star Break have won four out of their past six outings, including two straight, with the most recent victory proving extremely crucial.  The 109-95 triumph over the Chicago Bulls not only pulled the Pistons into a tie with the denizens of the Windy City, but also gave them the tiebreaker, which in the grand scheme of things is rather significant, given that would mean they’d avoid a date with in all likelihood the Cleveland Cavaliers, who swept them in the First Round last year.  Trailing 26-14 after the First Quarter, the hosts were able to swing momentum in the second frame, outscoring Chicago 37-29 before the Half, en route to putting away the visiting side over the final twenty-four minutes of play.  Detroit’s defense smothered their Central Division neighbors, relegating them to 41.0% shooting from the field, including 8-of-28 from beyond the arc (28.6%), while manhandling them on the glass (Plus-11).  Conversely, Van Gundy’s troops turned in a solid offensive performance, shooting 48.9% overall, while assisting on twenty-six of their forty-five field goals.  Perhaps the aforementioned Jackson (who missed twenty-one games to injury) took the prevailing criticism to heart, scoring a team-high twenty-six points on an efficient 11-of-16 shooting (68.8%), along with a pair of rebounds and six assists.  For whatever reason, though they appear to be far more threatening on paper, this group simply hasn’t been greater than the sum of their parts.  Van Gundy has assembled a deep rotation with ten different players logging at least fifteen minutes a night, with six of that number scoring in double-figures.  Furthermore, they’ve become one of the better defensive teams in the league, permitting 102.1 points (4th Overall), thanks in large part to Drummond’s presence in the paint, as the seven-footer’s influence is a major component of their league-leading 80.9% Defensive Rebounding Percentage, meaning that it’s typically one-and-done for the opposition.  However,  their issues are primarily found on the offensive end of the court, where this group runs counter to Van Gundy’s preference of a perimeter-oriented attack in support of a talented big man.  Shooters and spacing are absolutely vital to the skipper’s plans, but for whatever reason, these guys just don’t seem to fit into those roles this year; Detroit has made just 488 three-pointers thus far (7.7 per game), third-least in the NBA, while shooting a poor 33.4% in the process (27th Overall).  With that said, no team has scored more field goals inside the three-point arc than the Pistons (32.3 2FG), but all that activity inside the stripe hasn’t parlayed at all to free-throws, for this team has made the fewest free-throws in the league (14.2).  Basically, they’re simply not an efficient offensive group, despite players that you would think would slot right into Van Gundy’s desired roles.  It’s enough to lead one to believe that this is a team headed for major changes in the Offseason.

Serving as the subject of trade rumors, George has carried the Pacers this season, averaging 22.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals thus far.

Meanwhile, the Pacers (32-31, 6th in Eastern Conference) find themselves in a very similar situation to their opponent tonight, mired in the logjam that is fringes of the East, while ultimately relenting when trade discussions for their star player became more heated.  Indeed, President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird ultimately decided not to pull the trigger in regards towards swinging a deal that would include All-Star Shooting Guard Paul George (22.2 PTS, 44.5% FG, 38.6% 3FG, 6.2 REB, 3.3 AST, 1.5 STL), choosing instead to stand pat with the weapons at his disposal, at least until the end of the season.  Discussions regarding George, now fully healed from one of the most gruesome leg injuries that you’ll ever see, are due to his looming Free Agency, as the 26-year old has repeatedly stated that if the franchise can’t assemble a contender around him, he would be leaving in the Summer of 2018.  So with the clock ticking, it’s a bit curious that Indiana was unable to significantly add to their ranks, particularly to their Bench, which has been one of the most ineffective in the league throughout the campaign.  Perhaps the team can hear the proverbial clock ticking away, for this team has not been in good form over the past month, losing nine out of their last twelve outings.  Even the All-Star Break did little to rejuvenate them, as the Pacers have gone 2-3 since the week-long respite, with their most recent result being a 100-88 defeat on the road at Charlotte on Monday Night.  Nate McMillan’s charges looked flat from the jump, trailing 58-37 at Halftime, faring a bit better in the Second Half though the decision was well out of hand by that point.  It was an odd loss for a team that shot 45.7% from the field in comparison 40.7% for the Hornets, made 12-of-30 threes (40.0%), and dished out twenty-nine assists.  The difference though, came from the charity stripe, where the hosts calmly sank all but two of their twenty-one free-throws, while the visiting side attempted a scant three freebies, making two of them.  That’s a seventeen-point differential folks, which needless to say, is a rather decisive figure in a game decided by twelve points.  For his part, George scored a game-high thirty-six points on an efficient 15-of-25 shooting, including 6-of-14 from downtown (42.9%), while totaling ten rebounds, and five assists, despite turning the ball over six times, which was a problem overall for the Pacers, who coughed up the rock fifteen times in total.  Basically, Charlotte’s points just came easier, as they managed to turn the visitor’s mistakes into opportunities in transition, while also getting a wealth of second chance points courtesy of their dominance on the glass; Indiana was outrebounded 50-41, with the home side securing thirteen offensive boards.  This has been a problem all year for McMillan’s troops, who have been outrebounded by an average margin of 3.0 boards per game, while yielding 11.0 offensive rebounds a night, third-most in the league.  Honestly, this was to be expected as the franchise made a concerted effort to transition to a more free-flowing, open style of basketball after years plodding, half-court play.  Despite the efforts of blossoming Sophomore Center Myles Turner (15.2 PTS, 51.8% FG, 7.1 REB, 1.2 AST, 2.1 BLK), this is a team that is often ill-equipped to battle larger teams on the glass, though you would think that this would put them at a steep disadvantage against the Pistons, but that hasn’t necessarily been the case.  Indiana is going for the season sweep of their Central Division rivals, winning their previous three matchups by a comfortable 13.6 points per game, while actually outrebounding their bigger opponent, 42.0 to 41.7.  McMillan’s side has found little resistance from Detroit, shooting 51.2% from the field, with the aforementioned George feasting for 26.3 points on 57.7% shooting, including 7-of-15 from beyond the arc (46.7%), while posting 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists.  Yeah, we think that it was a good idea to hold onto this guy too…

Predicted Outcome: Pacers 110, Pistons 98