Our ratings lean toward the Pistons on the road against the Mavericks on Friday, January 29, at about 69%. That is a real edge, but the Mavericks are far from out of it.
How the Win Meter reads
The Win Meter reads the Pistons 69%, with a projected score of Detroit Pistons 118, Dallas Mavericks 113. The rating gap is 240 points in favor of the Pistons, and home court and rest add about 100 rating points for the Mavericks on top of that.
Readings in this range leave plenty of room for the other side. About 31 times in 100 games like this, the Mavericks would win.
Recent form
The Pistons are 2-0 this season and 3-2 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of +2.2. The Mavericks are 1-2 this season and 2-3 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -3.2.
The Pistons' best recent win was 115-94 on the road against CLE.
The Pistons were beaten 125-94 at home by CLE not long ago.
The Mavericks' best recent win was 149-128 at home against CHI.
The Mavericks were beaten 139-120 on the road by SAS not long ago.
Injuries to watch
Out: Jalen Duren (DET), expected back Oct 27, 2026, Ugonna Onyenso (DET), Santi Aldama (DAL), expected back Oct 28, 2026, Dereck Lively II (DAL), expected back Oct 28, 2026, and Tarik Biberovic (DAL), expected back Nov 2, 2026.
Day to day or questionable: Ausar Thompson (DET), Elijah Harkless (DET), and Isaac Jones (DET). Their status can change before tip-off.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the series is even, with the Pistons outscoring the Mavericks by an average of 4.7 points per game. The last meeting was DET 114, DAL 116.