The Detroit Pistons (22-19) can extend a five-game home winning streak when they go head-to-head with the Charlotte Hornets (16-25) at Little Caesars Arena. Detroit opened as a 3-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 205 points. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET on Monday, January 15, 2018, and it can be seen on NBATV.
Charlotte Hornets at Detroit Pistons Free Preview
The Hornets were beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last outing, 101-91. Charlotte’s Dwight Howard recorded 11 points and 17 rebounds in the contest. Oklahoma City had a turnover percentage of 7.8 (better than their season average of 12.6). Charlotte, meanwhile, had a better free throw rate (0.193 vs. 0.155).
In the Pistons last game, they were topped by the Chicago Bulls, 107-105. With 21 points and 15 rebounds, Andre Drummond had a solid game for Detroit. Chicago was lights out from beyond the arc (17-36; 47.2 percent). Detroit, meanwhile, held the Bulls to an offensive rebounding percentage of 15.8 (below the 22.2 mark opponents have averaged against Detroit this season).
Points at the line could be rare for Detroit in this showdown. The Pistons currently rank 28th in the league with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.166, while Charlotte ranks eighth in FTA rate allowed (0.180). Moreover, the Hornets rank third in turnover percentage (12.7 percent), while the Pistons rank fifth in opponents turnover percentage (15.5 percent).
Games involving these teams have a tendency to go under the O/U total. Charlotte games have gone under 56.1 percent of the time, while 58.5 percent of Detroit games have gone under. The Pistons come into this game with considerably better straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records. They are 22-19 SU and 23-16-2 ATS, while the Hornets are 16-25 SU and 16-21-4 ATS.
These teams have already met once this season. The two teams combined to score 192 points in that game, which was under the projected point total of 202. The Pistons won 102-90, covering as 3-point favorites. The Pistons played a nearly perfect game. They had an offensive rebounding percentage of 17.0 and a fantastically low turnover percentage of 7.3. The Hornets recorded marks of 7.3 and 16.5, respectively, for those same stats. Tobias Harris put up a double-double in the victory with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Charlotte Hornets at Detroit Pistons ATS Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Pistons, ATS Winner – Pistons, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Pistons rank 20th in assists per game (22.0) while the Hornets rank 29th (20.5).
- Charlotte leads the league with 13.8 points off turnovers allowed per game while Detroit is fourth with 14.6 points off turnovers allowed per game.
- Detroit ranks 18th in three pointers attempted per game (28.2) while Charlotte ranks 23rd in three pointers allowed per game (30.4).
- Charlotte is 6-9-3 ATS on the road with 9 unders, 8 overs and 1 push.
- Detroit is 10-7-1 ATS at home with 10 unders and 8 overs.
- Detroit is 12-4 when they hold opponents below 100 points, while Charlotte is 8-2.
- When scoring over 100 points, the Hornets are 15-10 and the Pistons are 19-7.
- The Pistons rank second in fast break points allowed per game (8.6) while the Hornets rank seventh (9.9).
- Charlotte ranks third in rebounds per game (46.5) while Detroit ranks 19th (42.2).
- The Pistons rank 16th in steals per game (7.7) while the Hornets rank 26th (6.6).
- The Hornets rank first in second chance points allowed per game (9.8) while the Pistons rank third (10.4).
- Charlotte ranks 20th in blocks per game (4.6) while Detroit ranks last (3.4).
Betting Trends:
- Detroit is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Charlotte is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Pistons have scored an equal number of points as their opponents. For the season, Detroit has defeated opponents by an average of 0.8 points.
- During their last five games, the Hornets have scored an average of 108.0 points per game (3.3 above their season average) and allowed an average of 101.8 points per game (3.8 below their season average).
