After a split of two games in Paris, the Indiana Pacers return home for the first time in 11 days to host the Detroit Pistons Wednesday.
The Pacers are 9-2 in 2025, the best record of any team in the NBA since the year started. They closed their trip to Paris with a 38-point win over the Spurs, their largest margin of victory this season.
“It’s been really fun to be here,” said Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton after the Spurs win. “Obviously, just helping grow the game. The opportunity from the league has been amazing. We’re really thankful for the opportunity to be here and just want to leave the city on a good note. I thought it was a really good showing by us tonight, and we just want to carry this momentum going forward.”
Detroit has been one of the surprises of the NBA, currently sitting in the eighth spot in the East, but the Pistons have lost four of their last six. Starting guard Jaden Ivey has been out for the last four weeks with a broken fibula that required surgery.
“We miss JI, there is no doubt about it,” said Pistons first-year coach JB Bickerstaff after his club’s 110-91 loss to Cleveland on Monday. “He’s extremely important to us and what we do and how we got to where we are now, but we have other guys we believe in who can make plays for us.”
Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is averaging a career-high 24.8 points this season and has scored 27.6 in his last five games. However, his shooting percentage in those five games is 42 percent as the toll of carrying the offense may be impacting him.
Wednesday’s game is the final contest of a five-game road trip for the Pistons.
Indiana ranks fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage (49.0) and eighth in three-point shooting (37.2). They have seven different players averaging in double figures highlighted by Haliburton (18.0) and Pascal Siakam (20.2).
“I think our best basketball is ahead of us,” said Haliburton. “If we keep our head down and keep working, good things will happen.”
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle took a moment in Paris to stump for his players to be named to the NBA All-Star team. The All-Star starters have been announced with the reserves being made public Thursday night.
“Tyrese and Pascal are All-Stars. Whether they are named to the team or not remains to be seen. I believe people around the league recognize they are all-star players,” said Carlisle. “Regardless of what happens, the fans of Pacer nation see those guys as superstars. They are superstars on our team. They are so important because they set a tone for who we are. If your star players aren’t unselfish and giver by nature, it’s always going to be a struggle to get guys on board with that.”
Indiana is 2-1 against the Pistons this season. A victory on Wednesday would mark the first time Indiana has won the season series against the Pistons in back-to-back seasons since 2015-16 and 2016-17.
–Field Level Media
