The compact 2011-12 NBA schedule begins showing its teeth on Saturday night when the Indiana Pacers (3-0) visit the Detroit Pistons (0-3) at the Palace at Auburn Hills.
Both teams are playing their fourth game in six days after playing a game last night and then traveling to Detroit. The Pistons will look for their first win against the Pacers after remaining winless on the season with a 96-85 to the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
The Pacers remained undefeated after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime on Friday night. The Pacers continue to struggle shooting the ball (FG% under 40% in all three wins) but make up for it with a strong, balanced attack and commitment to rebounding.
In the season opener at Indiana, the Pacers dominated the Pistons around the rim with a 53-40 rebound advantage and double-double contributions from Roy Hibbert, David West and Tyler Hansbrough. The Pistons will need to neutralize Indiana's front court advantage with big games from the back court with Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey and rookie Brandon Knight scoring to lead the way.
The game tips off at 6:00 p.m. ET to accommodate your New Year's Eve plans and will be televised on Fox Sports Detroit Plus.
For more on the Detroit Pistons, check out Detroit Bad Boys. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.