The Detroit Pistons hope to break out of a slump as they travel to North Carolina to face the Charlotte Hornets in an Eastern Conference battle on Wednesday at the Spectrum Center.
After a strong start, the Pistons have fallen to 13-12 on the season after losing five straight games. Meanwhile, the Hornets have risen to 13-13 after winning their last two games.
The Pistons are dealing with a slew of injuries. Ish Smith is out for 3-6 weeks with a groin injury. Stanley Johnson (knee) and Reggie Bullock (ankle) did not play in Monday’s game against the 76ers. Likewise, star player Blake Griffin didn’t suit up against Philly although his was declared as “rest purposes” by the team. With these key players out, the Pistons fell by 14 points to the Sixers on Monday and now have lost five in a row after winning seven of eight games prior to that.
Griffin leads the team in points and assists by averaging 25.6 points and 4.9 assists per game. The Pistons have the league’s top rebounder in Andre Drummond who hauls down 15.5 boards per game aside from scoring 18.4 points per game. Drummond also leads the team with 1.4 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. Reggie Jackson is contributing 15.2 points and 4.4 assists per game for Detroit
Detroit scores 109.1 points per game which is ranked 18th in the entire league. The Pistons are also averaging 21.6 assists per game, 26th best in the NBA. On defense, Detroit has the 14th best scoring defense in the league at 110.3 points per game allowed. Because of Drummond, they are ranked 6th in rebounding with their 47.5 boards per game average.
The Hornets are coming off a wire to wire win over the New York Knicks in New York last Sunday. Charlotte never trailed and led by as much as 28 points before winning 119-107 to snap a four game losing streak at Madison Square Garden. The win was a nice follow-up to the Hornets’ upset win over the Denver Nuggets last Friday. It was the fifth time this season that the Hornets have won two back to back games but they’ve never had a winning streak of three or more games this season.
Kemba Walker is having a fine season for the Hornets as he leads the team with 25.8 points, 6.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Jeremy Lamb is the Hornets’ top rebounder at 5.6 boards per contest while also scoring 15.1 points per game. Veteran point guard Tony Parker is contributing 10.3 points and 4.3 assists per game for his new team. Sophomore Malik Monk is the 4th double digit scorer in the team at 10.5 points per game.
Charlotte is the 7th best scoring team in the league, averaging 114.2 points per game. The Hornets are 14th overall in assists as they average 24.0 dimes per contest. Charlotte also allows 110.8 points per game which is the 18th best scoring defense in the NBA right now. They are in the bottom half in rebounding though at #20 with their 43.8 rebounds per game average.
These teams have played a total of 108 times during the NBA regular season with the Pistons holding the slight upper hand in the all-time series at 58-50. However, the Hornets have won three out of their last four meetings including the last one played on November 11th, 2018 in Detroit with the Hornets winning 113-103.
The Pistons are 0-5 SU in their last five games played and Detroit is also 3-6 SU in their last nine road games. The Hornets are 2-3 SU in their last five games played and are 9-5 SU in 14 home games played this season. Head to head, the Hornets are 3-1 SU in their last four meetings. The Hornets are also 4-1 SU in their last five meetings in Charlotte.
The main issues here are Detroit’s inconsistency and injuries. The Pistons are the only team in the league to have a winning streak of at least five games and a losing streak of at least five games. They are missing several key players due to injury. Ish Smith, Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson are still unavailable for Detroit. Blake Griffin may be coming back but he and Drummond cannot do it on their own. Without their main supporting cast, the Pistons are going to struggle, especially on the offensive end.
On the other hand, the Hornets are on a two game winning streak and have been playing more consistent basketball than Detroit. The Hornets are playing at home where they are 9-5 on the season and the Pistons are just 4-6 on the road. Again, I just can’t trust Detroit right now with their inconsistency and the injuries that they’re dealing with. We’re picking the Charlotte Hornets to beat the Detroit Pistons on 12/12/18
Detroit is 0-5 ATS in their last five games played and the Pistons are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 games played on the road. The Hornets are 16-10 ATS in 26 games played this season and are also 9-5 ATS in 14 home games played so far. Head to head, the Hornets are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against the Pistons. Charlotte is also 5-1 ATS in their last six home games against Detroit.
The home team is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 meetings and Detroit is 1-5 ATS in the last six meetings in Charlotte. With Griffin back, the Pistons get a shot in the arm but they are still missing other key players. Prediction: Hornets -5.5
The under has hit in six out of the last seven games played by the Pistons. The total has gone under in five out of the last seven road games played by Detroit. On the other hand, the total has one over in four out of the last five games played by Charlotte. The over is 8-6 in the Hornets’ 14 home games this season. Head to head, the over is 6-3-1 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
The Pistons are averaging just 99.2 points in their last five games and have failed to top the century mark in two of those games. They have also failed to reach their season scoring average in four out of their last five games, all losses. It’s the injuries more than anything else. Unless they get their guys back, scoring is going to be a problem. Prediction: Under 219
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