The Detroit Pistons aim to go over the .500 mark again when they take on the Atlanta Hawks in a Friday showdown between two rebuilding Eastern Conference franchises.
The Pistons snapped a five game losing streak with a 103-96 win over the Magic in Orlando. Similarly, the Hawks are 1-4 in their last five games but their lone win over that period came in between a pair of two game losing streaks.
The Detroit Pistons were one of the hottest teams when the NBA’s 2018-19 season opened. The Motown squad began the season with four straight wins including a one point victory over the highly touted Philadelphia 76ers. But they’ve cooled off since the 4-0 start and suffered five straight losses. On Wednesday, the Pistons were back at .500, thanks to Andre Drummond.
Detroit Pistons vs Atlanta Hawks 11/9/18
Moneyline Odds: Pistons -195, Hawks +170
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/9/18
The Atlanta Hawks have opened the 2018-19 NBA season with a 3-8 record. While they have shown flashes of brilliance, the Hawks’ season has been identified with their defensive woes. The Hawks are giving up the fourth most points in the league at 118.8 points per game. They have allowed 110 points or more in their last six games and lost five of those games.
Rookie Trae Young leads the Hawks with 18.6 points and 8.1 assists per game. Young has scored double digits in all of their games this season including 3 games with at least 20 points. But more than his numbers, it’s his inconsistency that has been very noticeable. Young is shooting just 27.1% from deep.
The Detroit Pistons lead their all-time series 218-208. These teams have split their last 10 meetings at 5 wins each. However, the Pistons have won four out of the last five games between these teams, including three of their four games last season to win the season series.
The Hawks won’t have answers for Detroit’s imposing frontline duo of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin. The two should be able to have their way inside the paint and on the boards. Trae Young will have his hands full with Detroit’s Reggie Jackson, Reggie Bullock and Ish Smith. Expect young to have a tough night against Detroit’s trio of explosive guards.
I think the size of Detroit’s frontline and the output of their backcourt are going to be too much to handle for the rebuilding Hawks.
We’re picking the Detroit Pistons to beat the Atlanta Hawks on 11/9/18.
The Pistons are 4-6 ATS in 10 games played this season and they are 3-2 ATS in five road games so far. Meanwhile, the Hawks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games and 2-3 ATS in five home games played this season. Head to head, the Hawks are 4-2 ATS when playing against the Pistons but are 2-3-1 ATS in their last six home games against Detroit.
Detroit Pistons vs Atlanta Hawks 11/9/18
Spread Odds: Pistons -5 (-105), Hawks +5 (-115)
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/9/18
Don’t forget that the Hawks are still the only team whom Cleveland has beaten so that speaks a lot about them. The Pistons’ cooled off after a hot start but they may have settled down against the Magic. Look for the more experienced Pistons to control the pace of this game with their frontline.
Prediction: Pistons -5
The over is 9-3 in the last dozen games between the Pistons and Hawks and the over is also 5-1 in the last six games between these two teams in Atlanta.
Detroit Pistons vs Atlanta Hawks 11/9/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 224 -110, Under 224 -110
Odds from Sportsbetting. ag
We talked about the Hawks being the 4th worst team in the league in terms of points per game allowed at 118.8 points per game. On the other hand, Detroit ranks 19th in the NBA in points per game allowed at 111.3. With both teams allowing more than 110 points per game this season, the over is a smart bet here.
Prediction: Over 224
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