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The Detroit Pistons pay the Atlanta Hawks a visit as these two Eastern Conference teams square off at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Friday night.
Playoff Push
The Detroit Pistons resume their season with the playoffs on their mind. Heading to the All-Star break, the Pistons were tied with the Miami Heat for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are coming off a loss to the Celtics but have won four out of their last five games played.
Blake Griffin is back as an All-Star and he is leading Detroit with 26.3 points as well as 8.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Andre Drummond is the NBA’s top rebounder with 15.0 boards per contest while also scoring 17.4 points per contest. Reggie Jackson is contributing 14.9 points and 4.4 assists per game. Luke Kennard and Langston Galloway are scoring 8.4 and 7.7 points per game respectively.
Detroit is the 9th best defensive team in the NBA at 108.1 opponent points per game allowed. The Pistons also rank 12th in rebounding at 45.5 boards per contest. On offense, they are 23rd in team scoring at 106.1 points per game and Detroit is ranked 26th in passing at 23.3 assists per game.
Pistons
-155
Hawks
+135
Odds from betonline.ag as of 2/22/19
Recent Struggles
The Atlanta Hawks have one of the worst records in the East at 19-39 but that was expected of them as they are undergoing a rebuild. But the young Hawks play hard and had some amount of success early in the season. Heading to the break though, they struggled for form and lost four out of their last five games. Atlanta hopes to get back on track with a home game to resume their 2018-19 campaign.
Sophomore John Collins has been the main man for the Hawks. Collins is averaging 19.1 points and 9.5 rebounds to lead his team. Rookie point guard Trae Young is having a fine start to his NBA career with 16.9 points and 7.6 assists per game. Taurean Prince and Kent Bazemore have provided scoring support with 13.4 and 13.0 points per game, respectively. Dewayne Dedmon has been a big help with 10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 block per game.
The Hawks are ranked 19th in the league in scoring at 110.6 points per game. They are also 10th in assists at 25.5 dimes per contest. Atlanta is also 19th in rebounding at 45.0 boards grabbed per contest and they own the worst scoring defense in the NBA at 118.2 opponent points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
Detroit is 6-4 SU in its last 10 games played. The Pistons are 2-2 SU in their last four road games. Atlanta is 4-6 SU in its last 10 games played. The Hawks are 1-4 SU in their last five home games. Head to head, the Pistons are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Hawks.
These are two teams heading opposite directions as the season is coming to a close. The Pistons are moving up and are gearing for a playoff push as they find themselves in the thick of the playoff picture. The Hawks meanwhile are headed to the Draft Lottery and while the team is still competing on a nightly basis, their main goal is to give their young players all the exposure and experience they need.
The Hawks sputtered heading to the break while the Pistons are feeling good about themselves having a chance to make the playoffs despite their inconsistencies. Detroit is a measly 9-17 SU on the road this season but not surprisingly, Atlanta has the same 9-17 SU record at home. I like the Pistons to resume their season and playoff hunt with a big road win.
I’m picking the Detroit Pistons to beat the Atlanta Hawks on 2/22/19.
Other Bets To Make
The Pistons are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games played. Detroit is 2-1-1 ATS in its last four games on the road. The Hawks are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. Atlanta is 1-4 ATS in its last five games at home. Head to head, the Hawks are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games against the Pistons.
Pistons
-3.5 (-105)
Hawks
+3.5 (-115)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 2/22/19
Detroit is 5-1 ATS in their last six games against an opponent with a losing home record. The Pistons are also 4-1-1 versus teams with a losing straight up record. They are also 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. The Hawks on the other hand are 0-4 ATS in their last four games against their fellow Eastern Conference teams. Atlanta is also 1-6 ATS in their last seven home games and 1-5 ATS in their last five games overall. Detroit hasn’t exactly been very good but they’ve played well against the bottom teams.
Prediction: Pistons -3.5
The over is 5-4-1 in the Pistons’ last 10 games played. The total has gone under in two out of Detroit’s last four games played. The Hawks have seen the total go over in six out of their last 10 games played. The under is 3-2 in Atlanta’s last five games played. Head to head, the over is 6-3-1 in the last 10 encounters between these two ball clubs.
Pistons
O 223.5 -110
Hawks
U 223.5 -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 2/22/19
Detroit has played under the total in five of its last six games on the road against teams with losing records while the Hawks have seen the total go under in four out of their last five games when paying on three or more days rest. The under is also 4-1 in the Hawks’ last five games when their opponent allows more than 100 points in their previous game. While the trends point to the under, the Hawks have the worst scoring defense in the entire league and have allowed 118.2 points per game in their last five games played. Meanwhile, the Pistons have scored an average of 117.0 points per game in their previous five outings. I think Detroit stops Atlanta’s offense but they are on a roll and should be able to score more than enough points to send the total to the over.
Prediction: Over 223.5
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