Detroit Pistons vs. Indiana Pacers – NBA, Thursday, December 16, 2021

The Detroit Pistons will take on the Indiana Pacers for the second time this season. Both teams reside in the bottom of the Eastern Conference, as the Pacers have a 12-17 record, while the Pistons are an NBA worst 4-22.
Detroit’s most recent victory came on November 17 against the Pacers. Detroit has lost 12 straight games since that victory. Can they put an end to their losing streak on Thursday night? Let’s check out the odds.
Pistons vs. Pacers Odds for December 16th
The game is over 24 hours away, so we don’t have odds on the moneyline, but we can move forward with the available odds.
As bad as the Detroit Pistons have been this season, they haven’t been as easy to cover against. They failed to cover in six of their first eight games, but they’re 10-8 against the spread since then.
There isn’t much clarity on the point total, but they have hit the over in four of their last five games.
Indiana has reportedly put a few players on the trade block, but they haven’t made any moves. Combine that with no injuries, and they’re coming into the matchup at full strength. It’s a different story for the Pistons.
Jerami Grant recently suffered a thumb injury that will hold him out for six weeks. Grant leads the Pistons with 20.1 points per game. Killian Hayes was also dealing with a thumb injury, but he should be good to go for Thursday’s matchup.
Let’s break down Detroit and Indiana’s chances for the game.
Detroit Pistons Preview
The Detroit Pistons got a huge boost in the offseason when they landed the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Adding Cade Cunningham was great for their rebuild, but everyone knew it would take some time to see results.
Well, I don’t think Pistons fans thought it would be this bad of a start to the season.
Detroit has the worst record in the NBA at 4-22. They’ve lost 12 games in a row and are one of two teams averaging less than 100 points per game.
We have seen them compete with some of the league’s top teams within the losing streak.
- Golden State Warriors: 105-102
- Los Angeles Lakers: 121-116
- @ Los Angeles Lakers: 110-106
- Washington Wizards: 119-116 (OT)
In three of those four games, Jerami Grant scored over 27 points. As I mentioned earlier, the Pistons won’t have Grant for this matchup and the next six weeks. There’s also a chance someone trades for him, but that doesn’t apply to this matchup.
The Pistons last victory came against the Indiana Pacers. Grant didn’t have a great game, but he led the team with 19 points.
Cunningham has been impressive early in his rookie season. He has cleared 25 points in three of his last six games. In those three games, he also cleared seven rebounds.
Lately, he has taken on a bigger role. Check out his numbers in his last five games.
- 22.0 points
- 5.2 rebounds
- 4.6 assists
- 2.0 steals
- 48.6 three-point percentage
His play will be vital towards the Pistons making this game competitive.
Detroit’s offense as a whole will need to step up. It won’t be easy against a Pacers team that ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference in points allowed.
Indiana Pacers Preview
The Indiana Pacers have not started as well as they hoped. I think many people were expecting them to bounce back after missing the playoffs last season. In the preseason, I had them among my best bets to make the playoffs.
Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan.
Indiana had a rough 1-6 start that turned into a 6-11 record. They did have a rough stretch, but Indiana bounced back with an impressive three-game win streak.
- Washington Wizards: 116-110
- New York Knicks: 122-102
- Dallas Mavericks: 106-93
The Pacers nearly made it four wins in a row but lost by two points to the Golden State Warriors.
As bad as they have played, the Pacers are only two games out of the play-in tournament. There’s a decent chance that changes, as the Pacers play the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. By the time you see this, the game has likely ended.
Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, and Domantas Sabonis scored between 15-20 points. It’s not bad by any means, but you’d like to see at least one player put up 25+ points.
What’s encouraging is one of those players has cleared 25 points in five of their last six points. Overall, here are their points per game average.
- Malcolm Brogdon: 20.0
- Domantas Sabonis: 18.6
- Caris LeVert: 15.7
There’s no reason the Pacers can’t score on the Pistons defense. Jerami Grant was one of the Pistons top defenders, so they’ll be short handed on that end of the court.
Now, let’s go over my game pick.
Pistons vs. Pacers Pick
-
Pistons (+10.0)-110
I feel like I’ve been favoring the Indiana Pacers the whole time, and I do think they’ll win. However, the Detroit Pistons always find a way to keep it close.
Indiana still hasn’t found their groove, and they might be a little tired on the second leg of a back-to-back. Maybe the Pistons will steal the victory, but I feel more confident with taking them against the spread.
You can find this pick at SportsBetting.ag. For more NBA picks, check out our NBA picks page.
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