Detroit Pistons visit Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks in search of fifth consecutive win

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg is on fire recently, but he runs into a red hot Detroit Pistons team Thursday night.

Dec 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) tries to get past Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) during the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The rookie sensation meets the Detroit Pistons tonight.

The 10-17 Dallas Mavericks and the 21-5 Detroit Pistons could not be on more different ends of the NBA hierarchy at the moment. The difference in success between these two franchises doesn't make this matchup less interesting.

Cade Cunningham plays in his home state of Texas, Detroit searches for their fifth consecutive win and their sixth win in seven games, and 2025 number one overall NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg looks for his sixth 20-point game in eight games.

Mar 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots the ball over Dallas Mavericks forward Kai Jones (23) as forward P.J. Washington (25) and forward Naji Marshall (13) and guard Brandon Williams (10) look on during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

What happened the last time

The Mavericks and the Pistons have already met once this season. The two teams met in Mexico City earlier this year and it was entertaining television. The Pistons beat Dallas 122 to 110 and saw some fun performances. Mavericks guard D'Angelo Russell exploded for 31 points and seven threes. Pistons leader Cade Cunningham dropped 21 points and dished out 18 assists. Pistons center Jalen Duren began his Most Improved Player campaign with 33 points and 10 rebounds.

Flagg struggled to catch fire as he went 3-of-14 from the field, but he made all eight of his free throws, scored 16 total points, snagged eight rebounds, and dished out four assists. The rookie is coming off of dropping a career-high 42 points against the Utah Jazz Monday night in an overtime loss.

Where both teams have been and where they're headed

Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff is looking to lead his team to a fifth consecutive victory and has his team positioned at the top of the Eastern conference. Trade rumors have swirled in Detroit since people began to realize this is a legit contender rather just than just a regular season fluke. The Pistons are coming off of revenge victory against the Boston Celtics.

Jaylen Brown and the Celtics were responsible for ending Detroit's 13-game winning streak earlier in the season. Detroit is headed for a top-three spot in the Eastern conference side of the playoffs at the pace they're going.

The Pistons only have big man Isaac Jones listed as day-to-day on the injury report.

17 regular season losses in 27 games throughout a long regular season doesn't mean Dallas isn't competitive as they're currently constructed tonight. Head coach Jason Kidd has led his team to five victories in seven games with wins against the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat. Center Anthony Davis, guard D'Angelo Russell, and guard Brandon Williams are all listed as questionable to play in tonight's game. With a lot of the regular season left to play, don't expect Kidd to give up on this season anytime soon.

How to watch, betting odds, predictions

Watch the 21-5 Detroit Pistons face the 10-17 Dallas Mavericks inside AT&T Center in Dallas at 7:30pm on NBA League Pass and FanDuel Sports Network. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Pistons favored to win this game with a spread of -6.5 points. This means a bet on the Pistons spread means the Pistons would have to win tonight's game by more than six points for the bet to be successful.

ESPN Analytics currently gives the Pistons a 66% chance to beat Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks tonight.