The Detroit Pistons are looking to make history — the kind of history champions are made of. Detroit enters tonight’s contest against the Indiana Pacers riding a 12-game winning streak. Only two other
teams in franchise history have won 12 consecutive games in a season, and they both won NBA Titles.
The 2003-04 Pistons won 13 in a row from December 27, 2003, to April 1, 2004. That means it covers both the pre- and post-Rasheed Wallace addition that powered the Going to Work Pistons to their lone NBA championship. The 1989-90 Pistons had a winning streak of 12 and a winning streak of 13 in the same season. That was also the year the Bad Boys won the back half of their back-to-back ships. The 1989 Pistons, for those curious, maxed out at a nine-game winning streak, and won 16 of 17 during their title run.
I’m not saying these Pistons are destined to win a title, but I am saying we’re going to have to start having some conversations pretty soon.
To add a little poetic note to tonight’s game, as Keith Langlois points out, the Pistons will be fighting for their 13th consecutive win, two years to the day, against the same opponent where they suffered their 13th straight loss. Part of Detroit’s franchise-record 28-game losing streak.
Game Vitals
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -10.5
Analysis
The story of the Indiana Pacers this season is as simple as it is sad — injuries have decimated their potent offense and it is really hard to get wins if you can’t generate a way to get baskets. They enter tonight 2-14 having lost nine of their past 10 games, and just one of those losses being of the single-digit variety. That is because in their last 10, Indiana sports the worst offense in the NBA at a paltry 106.2 points per 100 possessions. Their defense doesn’t rank much better (27th).
The one thing the Pacers can do is get themselves to the free-throw line, and that ability is even more potent now that Bennedict Mathurin is back in the lineup. The Pistons, it should be noted, also foul at one of the worst rates in the NBA. The Pacers foul nearly as much as they receive, and Detroit has been much better about getting itself to the charity stripe this season. That could be a recipe for a long slog of a game.
This could also be a game where Jalen Duren could dominate. Indy relies on a rotation of Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff, and Tony Bradley at center. No team surrenders more defensive rebounds than the Pacers, and Indy is near the bottom in opponent points in the paint per game. Duren’s eyes should be very wide in this one.
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (14-2)
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Indiana Pacers (2-14)
Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Ben Sheppard, Pascal Siakam, Isaiah Jackson
Question of the Game
As a Pistons fan, do you have it in your heart to feel bad for the Pacers and their fans this season? They’re not hateable, but they are the Pacers, so ….. ?
