Pacers begin regular season journey against Pistons

The Pacers tip off the season on the road in Detroit on Wednesday night against a developing young Pistons team looking for a little veteran help.

Happy Pacers Opening Night!!!

Last season the Pacers swept their four-game season series against the Pistons by an average of 16 points. No surprise considering the Pistons only won 14 games, finishing with the worst record in the league. Despite the poor record, Detroit dropped to fifth in the draft lottery, later using the fifth pick to take 19-year old Ron Holland.

The Pistons are used to running young players out on the court, but this season they are trying to improve their effort to secure Ws. Only six Pistons play more than 60 games last season. One of those players was 23 years old, two were 22, two were 21 and one was 20 leading to plenty of growing pains.

This season the Pistons hope to add some adults to the mix, adding veterans Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris to the mix in complementary roles to support Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duran among the talented young players who are all expecting to improve their play this season.

So, while the Pacers had Detroit’s number last season and return the bulk of their playing rotation, getting off to a fast start won’t be a given against this Detroit team now coached by J.B. Bickerstaff. The Pacers are healthy with only Isaiah Jackson questionable before the opening tip. After a rather blah preseason the Pacers should be locked and loaded to start the season in hostile territory.

While the Pacers hope to improve at the defensive end, it is safe to assume they will still rely on their elite offense to deliver wins. There will be not sneaking up on teams and Tyrese Haliburton is no longer a fun upstart story. Rese is among the top point guards in the the league and the focus of any opposing defense.

The early schedule is gnarly for the Pacers with their next game at MSG against a Knicks team that was embarrassed by the Celtics in their opener. No doubt they will be fully focused on returning the favor to the Pacers on Friday. But the Pacers play game one against the Pistons and looking ahead at the schedule will do no good if they don’t focus on earning that first win in game one.

Pacers vs. Pistons

Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI

When: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, 7:00 p.m. ET

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

Odds: Pacers -4.5

Projected Starters

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

Pistons: Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, Jalen Duran

Injuries

Pacers: Isaiah Jackson (groin) - questionable

Pistons: Ausar Thompson (illness) - out, Bobbi Klintman (calf) - out