The Dallas Mavericks head to The Palace of Auburn Hills to take on the Detroit Pistons. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 1 and can be seen on FSW and FxD.
The Pistons come into this game on a high note after topping the Thunder 88-82 on Tuesday. Marcus Morris was the team’s leading scorer with 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are coming off a 91-89 win against the Knicks on Wednesday. J.J. Barea shot 10-for-18 and led in scoring with 26 points.
Over the last five games, Andre Drummond and Morris have been better than usual for the Pistons. During that stretch, Drummond has averaged 18.8 points, 15.2 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 1.8 blocks. Not to be outdone, Morris has put up 18.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.4 three-pointers.
Second-chance opportunities are projected to be few and far between for the Mavericks in this contest. They rank 26th in the NBA in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 20.4%), while Detroit is second-best in the league on the defensive backboards (defensive rebound percentage of 79.3%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Pistons won the first game 102-96. Dirk Nowitzki played a big role with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pistons have gone 40-35 Straight Up (SU) and 38-34-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 40-35 SU and 38-34-3 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Pistons have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the third-ranked rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 46.4 per game, while the Mavericks rank 20th in the league with 43.0 per game. Detroit has left their fans wanting more on the defensive side recently. The Pistons have given up an average of 110.4 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 101.4 PPG.
On the other side, the Mavericks have 37-38 SU and 39-34-2 ATS records. In Eastern Conference games, Dallas has gone 37-38 SU and 39-34-2 ATS. The Mavericks are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .797 free throw percentage that ranks third in the NBA. The Mavericks rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.81.
With the Pistons’ last win against Dallas, Detroit moved closer to evening up its record against Dallas. It now stands at 3-7 SU over the last 10 meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5.
Predictions: SU Winner – Det
Notes
Both Dallas and Detroit rank 12th in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Dallas scores 103.0 points per game, while Detroit gives up 101.4.
Dallas scores an average of 100.9 points per away game (ranked 17th), while Detroit allows 100.2 points per home game (ranked 11th).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Detroit Pistons are a winning 25-9. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Dallas Mavericks have a poor record of 11-21.
The Detroit Pistons have a losing 15-26 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Dallas Mavericks are 26-17 when they hit triple digits.
Detroit’s offense and Dallas’ defense both rank 17th this season. Detroit has an offensive rating of 103.8 and Dallas has a defensive rating of 105.4.
Detroit averages 98.5 possessions per game, scoring 1.038 points on each possession. While Dallas averages fewer possessions per game with 97.9, the team scores more points per possession with 1.053.
The Detroit Pistons average an effective field goal percentage of 49.1% this season. The Dallas Mavericks have a poor record of 13-29 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.1% or greater.
On average, the Dallas Mavericks make 22.4 assists per game and the Detroit Pistons make 19.5. Dallas is ranked 15th, while Detroit is ranked 27th.
Both the Dallas Mavericks and the Detroit Pistons fall near the bottom of the league when it comes to blocking. Dallas ranks 29th with an average of 3.7 per game, while Detroit ranks last with 3.7 per game.
Detroit ranks among the best in the league in offensive rebounding at second, while Dallas is a top-10 team in defensive rebounding (ranked eighth).
The Detroit Pistons average 7.0 steals per game. When allowing 7 or more steals, the Dallas Mavericks are an even 25-25 this season.
