The Detroit Pistons will travel to the American Airlines Center to play the Dallas Mavericks. The game begins at 8:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 9 and will air on FSW and FxD.
The Mavericks got blown out by the Clippers 109-90 on Monday. Dirk Nowitzki was the team’s high scorer with 22 points. The Pistons, meanwhile, are coming off a 123-103 win over the Trail Blazers on Sunday. Reggie Jackson led the game in scoring with 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting.
Second-chance opportunities could be few and far between for the Mavericks in this one. They rank 27th in the league in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of just 20.3%), while Detroit is third-best in the NBA on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 78.9%).
The Mavericks enter the game with records of 33-31 Straight Up (SU) and 33-29-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 33-31 SU and 33-29-2 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. The Mavericks are an incredibly accurate shooting team from the line with a .791 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Dallas is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.76.
On the other side, Detroit has a SU record of 32-31 and an ATS record of 32-29-2. In Western Conference games, Detroit has gone 32-31 SU and 32-29-2 ATS. The Pistons have shown improvement on the offensive end over the most recent 10 game stretch. Over that span, Detroit is averaging 113.1 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 101.7. The Pistons are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 46.2 rebounds per game. The Pistons average 100.5 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 110.4 points per game during that span.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these two played, Detroit won, but the Mavericks still lead the head-to-head record, 8-2 SU, over the last 10 matchups. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Dal
Notes
On average, Detroit scores 101.7 points per game (ranked 17th), while Dallas gives up 102.7 points per game (ranked 16th).
Detroit ranks 23rd in points per away game with 98.2 points, while Dallas ranks 17th in points allowed at home with 101.6.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Dallas Mavericks are a stellar 20-4. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Detroit Pistons have an abysmal record of 7-22.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Mavericks are just 13-27 this season. Detroit is a solid 25-9 when it hits the century mark.
The Pistons have a defensive rating of 103.0 (ranked 11th). The Mavericks rank ninth for their offensive rating of 104.9.
The Detroit Pistons average 98.6 possessions per game and 1.031 points per possession. The Dallas Mavericks earn fewer possessions with 97.7, but they score more points with 1.049.
The Dallas Mavericks average an effective field goal percentage of 50.0% this season. The Detroit Pistons have a losing record of 11-20 when opponents have an EFF% of 50.0% or greater.
Dallas makes an average of 21.9 assists per game (ranked 17th), while Detroit makes 18.8 assists per game (ranked 27th).
Both the Detroit Pistons and the Dallas Mavericks fall near the bottom of the league when it comes to blocking. Detroit ranks 29th with an average of 3.6 per game, while Dallas ranks last with 3.5 per game.
The Dallas Mavericks rank 28th in offensive rebounding, while the Detroit Pistons rank 15th in defensive rebounding.
The Dallas Mavericks make an average of 6.8 steals per game. The Detroit Pistons are 20-22 when they allow 6 or more steals.
