Pistons at Pacers preview: Pistons look to avenge 22 point collapse in Hoosier state

Tonight marks the third time this season in which the Pacers and Pistons square off with each team already winning once on their home floor.

Andre Drummond’s 28 points and 21 rebounds powered a 114-97 win in Detroit on November 9th while Victor Oladipo (and Lance Stephenson *sigh*) led the Pacers back from a 22 point deficit just nine days later for a SMH 107-100 Indiana home court victory.

Game Vitals

When: Friday, December 15th at 7 p.m.

Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

Watch: Fox Sports Detroit Plus

Analysis

The Pistons—winners of one straight game—are familiar with the capabilities oozing out of the Pacers’ Victor Oladipo and will need to keep close tabs on his whereabouts.

While his flashy scoring grabs the headlines, he’s also averaging a career high 5.3 rebounds per game including a 15 rebound performance during Indiana’s home win against Detroit.

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor’s piece about his body transformation over the summer is worth your time.

****

Somewhat lost in the Dipo hype has been the peppy play of Bojan Bogdanovic.

Heading into tonight, Double B is rocking a career high 14.6 points per game on a career high 62 percent true shooting percentage which includes a career high 2.2 three-point makes per game.

100-out-of-144 Bogdanovic’s three-point attempts this season has taken place above the break and he’s made 37 of those. Combined from the corners, he’s connected on 24-of-44 which is good for a robust 55 percent.

I’ve rambled on all year about the Pistons’ lack of contested threes on defense - they cannot afford to fall asleep on Bogdanovic tonight.

****

What to watch for

In both previous meetings, anytime Thad Young was the screener in a standard pick-and-roll, the Pistons’ Tobias Harris showed hard forcing Young to become a playmaker and/or shooter; it’s the exact role guys like Draymond Green thrive in:

For Detroit, the net results were mixed but darn near every look was clean for Young or an open teammate. On a team with the scoring punch of Victor Oladipo and Myles Turner, making Thad Young beat you is a decent bet.

Will the trend continue?

Projected Lineup

Detroit

Reggie Jackson, Avery Bradley, Andre Drummond, Reggie Bullock, Tobias Harris

Indiana

Darren Collison, Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner, Thad Young, Bojan Bogdanovic

Prediction

Detroit extends the winning streak to two. What a ride!

Pistons 104, Pacers 100