Indiana is 21-15 at home but just 17-16 on the road. If the Pacers want to crack the top six in the East and avoid the play-in round, they need to pile up these wins away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers will be the guests in their next five games. The first of these will be in Detroit, as they have already been eliminated from the playoffs.
After dropping out of their last competition at home against Cleveland, the Pacers are 38-31 and currently sit in seventh place. The loss marks their tenth loss of the season by five points or less and kept the Pacers out of the top six.
Tyrese Haliburton and company are still the highest scoring offense in the league at 122.8 points per game. Indiana is also the only team to shoot over 50% from the floor and average over 30 assists per game.
The Pacers will look to maintain those marks when they face the Pistons. A first victory on this road trip can set the tone for the remaining matches since the last three will be played in the state of California.
Detroit poses little to no threat to the Pacers as long as they are prepared, but DeMar DeRozan’s Bulls have proven capable of winning head to head. The three Western Conference teams on the road also have tandems of offensive firepower.
Golden State has Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins who can score at will. The Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis while the Clippers can have Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard on their roster at the same time.
Fortunately for head coach Rick Carlisle’s team, each of these away games comes with an off day, except for the two against Los Angeles opponents. This could allow the Pacers to stay fresh and not overexert themselves.
A good performance in these five road games could move the Pacers out of seventh (or eighth) place and into the top six, avoiding play-in. After the game against Detroit, the other opponents are all in contention for the playoffs (Warriors, Lakers, Clippers and Bulls).
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The Pacers would love to return home next Friday (against the Lakers) and would only be five or fewer teams above them in the Eastern Conference standings. This positioning will greatly affect the longevity and prospects of Indiana’s playoff aspirations.
