On Tuesday, 03/10, the Detroit Pistons (36-29) will host the Washington Wizards (1314-) in an Eastern Conference Regular-Season match-up. The Pistons have a firm grip on the sixth spot in the East, whereas the Wizards have the worst record in the league. Will the surging Pistons stomp all over the Wizards? Read about the preview, total predictions, and player props here.
Pistons: A season to remember already
The Pistons will march into this affair after a 7-point win against the Portland Trail Blazers on the heels of a 28-point performance by Cade Cunningham. It broke a two-game losing streak, and the squad has an 11-3 record since the second week of February, with the win against the defending champs Boston Celtics being their most impressive one. They have built a terrific offense, yielding 121.8 points per game(4th) in their brilliant 14-game period. The scoring punch of Cunningham is well supported by Malik Beasley, who has been an electric long-range shooter(3rd in made three-pointers per game with 3.9) off the bench. Meanwhile, veteran Tobias Harris has formed a hustling frontline alongside youngsters Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson.
Expected Starting Lineup
PG: Cade Cunningham | SG: Tim Hardaway Jr. | SF: Ausar Thompson | PF: Tobias Harris | C: Jalen Duren
Key Injuries/Updates: Jaden Ivey continues to be OUT.
Wizards: Cooper Flagg Hunt is On
The Wizards will enter this match-up after playing against the Toronto Raptors the previous night. Before that, they squeezed out a 1-point win behind an electric 34-point masterpiece by Jordan Poole. It was a rare second win in a row for the team as they have maintained a 7-8 record since February after a horrid 6-41 start. They have a sparkling scorer in Jordan Poole and some promising pieces in Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly, however, the team is yet to identify its future stars. Thus, as of now, they won’t mind their poor record to accentuate the chances of landing a #1 pick to select Duke generational talent Cooper Flagg.
Expected Starting Lineup
PG/SG: Jordan Poole | SG: Bilal Coulibaly | SF: Khris Middleton | SF: Kyshawn George | C: Alex Sarr
Key Injuries/Updates: Saddiq Bey is OUT for the long term.
The Pistons have regularly scored 115 or more points throughout the season, even against effective defenses. The Wizards’ defense doesn’t exactly come into the “effective” category, thus, Detroit is on course for a 120+ piece here. Meanwhile, defensively, Detroit is great at shutting down inconsistent offensive squads; thus, they can limit the Wizards to under 110 here. Overall, I see the score crossing the 225-point mark here but I doubt it will hit the 235.5 mark as suggested by the recent odds.
Projected Predictions:
Cade Cunningham to score over 28.5 points: The Detroit guard has tallied an impressive 25.6 PPG this season and has crossed the 28-point mark in each of the last four games. I expect him to continue in a similar terrain here.
Jalen Duren to grab over 11.5 rebounds: The Pistons center has rallied 10.3 rebounds per game and has clasped 11 or more rebounds in four of the last five games. I believe he will be in business to grasp 11+ rebounds again against a squad that misses a ton of shots.
Jordan Poole to score over 24.5 points: The isolation expert has been unable to play regularly due to injury issues and has only played once this month. However, he was able to put up 34 due to fresh legs. I believe he will be in the 25-28 points range here IF he plays because this will be a back-to-back situation.
Khris Middleton to score over 15.5 points: The sharpshooting forward has scored in the 12-17 range in the last four games. I expect him to be in the 16-19 range here.
The Pistons will enter with obvious advantages here. The Wizards will be here after playing against the Raptors on the previous night, so Detroit will have the home-court edge and a one-day rest. This is most likely a walk in the park win for Detroit as they have no reason to at least lose here. I believe they will win by at least 15 points here.
Safe Spread Pick: Pistons -15.5 for -102 at BetMGM
Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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