Charlotte at Detroit
Time: 6 PM ET
TV: NBA League Pass
Spread: DET -1
Total: 190
Betting odds c/o Bovada
The Detroit Pistons are just 23-38 on the season but the lineup is stronger now, despite the loss of Brandon Jennings for the season. It’s hard to tell by a five-game losing streak, but changes are measured over time, and adding Jackson to a backcourt featuring Jennings has a certain promise and ring to it—if Jackson can be re-signed as a RFA this summer.
The Pistons added Reggie Jackson of the Thunder at the trade deadline, and the dynamic combo guard could be just what this team needs if it can sneak into the postseason. The Pistons are 1-point favorites in NBA live lines in tonight’s contest against the Charlotte Hornets.
The total for the game is set at 190. For an explanation of how to bet both the total and the spread see our explanation of how NBA odds work.
GM and head coach of the Pistons Stan Van Gundy is revamping the defensive culture that it once thrived on. And that’s been an easier task with a dominant Andre Drummond emerging. In Drummond’s visit to Orlando on Dec. 30 (SVG’s return), he snatched 18 points in the first three quarters before sitting out the rest of a Pistons’ blowout win. Drummond had eight points and 21 rebounds in the loss to the Houston Rockets on Wed (Mar 6) night, as the Pistons grabbed 19 offensive rebounds in the game but were still negative-5 on the boards.
Drummond is too big, to strong, and too athletic for most NBA bigs to have any kind of chance against. Unless it is against the likes of Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan, Drummond will have access to every rebound. He’s currently averaging 13 per game, to go with 12.2 points and 2.74 blocks/steals per game.
The Pistons were dealt a big blow when Brandon Jennings tore his ACL and went down for the season, but this is a backcourt featuring an already above-average defender Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the backcourt. The Pistons are able to employ more half court traps, and both Greg Monroe and Drummond are good pick and roll defenders. This seeming minutia is a key factor in the Pistons’ revival. Jodie Meeks and D.J. Augustin can hold this team together, but NBA oddsmakers think otherwise in favoring the Cavs by 8.5 points.
The real hammer was adding Jackson, who put up 17 points in the loss Wed. night. Over his past six games, he has scored 15.8 points and dished out 7.3 assists, grabbed 4.8 rebounds per game…but he is shooting just 36.6 percent from the floor. The hope is that with more time Jackson will acclimate to the offense and reach at least a 44 percent mark. The Pistons need the shooting, notwithstanding that Meeks is a total flame thrower.
But the single biggest factor was being able to part ways with Josh Smith. Smith was a disruptive influence and took a lot of horrible shots. That takes teammates out of games, and the Pistons realized the mistake they made when Smith was signed to a max-deal. Most analysts said there was no way Smith was worth that kind of contract; and well, they were all correct about that. Filling the “void” (the shots, in reality) that Smith left has been Jodie Meeks and D.J. Augustin.
Both guards are capable of filling it up, and Meeks hit nine threes in the contest on Dec 30 vs Orlando. The Pistons are on the verge of being a good ball club, but without its star player in the backcourt, it’s difficult to imagine this team being much of a threat. What makes it all the more devastating is that Jennings was coming off a 26 assist, 25 point game against Orlando (again), and was looking as though he was ready to take the next step as a premier 1-man in the Association.
Detroit trails Miami by 4.5 games for the final spot in the East, and the Charlotte Hornets are tied with Miami in record but lose the tie-breaker. Detroit has dropped five straight games, however, and the Hornets have won four straight. Bettors may be enticed to bet in favor of the Hornets, at least with a moneyline, due to this. The 1.5 point spread speaks to the lack of disparity between these teams, but all other things equal, the Hornets are the hotter team. Charlotte defeated a tough Toronto Raptors team 103-94 Friday (Mar 6) night, and the team got 46 points from Al Jefferson and Mo Williams, as the tandem combined to shoot 18 of 35.
The Hornets shot 47 percent as a team and improved to 11-1 when shooting 47 percent or better. Charlotte assisted 26 times on 40 field goals with only 15 turnovers, and though Cody Zeller and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist struggled, the Hornets frontcourt has been better with MKG’s improved shooting and Zeller gaining more experience. Zeller still scores most of his looks as garbage buckets, but cleaning up the boards can keep a team in games. The Hornets had 11 offensive rebounds against the Raptors, and held a plus-24 (!) advantage on the glass.
