Spread & Over/Under Predictions: Charlotte Hornets at Detroit Pistons
Star ratings:
1 Star - Not very confident
2 Star - A little confident
3 Star - Fairly confident
4 Star - Very confident
5 Star - Should be a lock to happen
Spread: Pistons -2.5
3 Star play on the Pistons (-2.5): Both teams come into the matchup struggling mightily, but the Pistons have been slightly more competitive of late than the Hornets decimated roster has been.
Charlotte will again be without LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, Seth Curry, Bryce McGowens, and Cody Martin, with Tre Mann also listed as doubtful.
When healthy, this is an extremely winnable matchup as evidence by Detroit being favored by only 2.5 points in spite of all of the injuries.
While this should be, and is, a winnable game on paper for Charlotte, winning in the NBA while missing half-a-dozen rotation players is simply too tall of a task to confidently bet on.
With that said, Brandon Miller should have every opportunity to flip this matchup if he can figure out Detroit's plan for him early.
Over/Under: 216.5
1 Star play on the over: Detroit's defense is as porous as can be, but they play with the 8th-fastest pace in the league and can keep up on offense many nights as long as the youngsters haven't gone ice-cold shooting.
I generally avoid picking totals in a matchup like this, but I am cautiously leaning towards the over. Detroit will have every opportunity to dictate the pace of this game more towards their own style, which should result in more shot attempts on both ends.
My picks this season
ATS: 9-5 (64.3%)
O/U: 5-9 (35.7%)
Overall: 14-14 (50.0%)
