The Charlotte Hornets will travel to The Palace of Auburn Hills to take on the Detroit Pistons. Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 8 and can be seen on SPSO and FSN-DET.
The Pistons are are hoping for a better outcome after their 103-93 loss to the Rockets on Friday. Greg Monroe was the team’s leading scorer with 19 points. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 103-94 win against the Raptors on Friday. Al Jefferson claimed his 19th double-double of the season with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Jefferson and Mo Williams have upped their production over the last five games for the Hornets. Jefferson has averaged 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks during that stretch, while Williams has put up 22.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 3.6 three-pointers.
Expect this one to be a clinic on boxing out, as two of the NBA’s top rebounding teams face off. Detroit is among the league’s best on the offensive glass, ranking fourth in offensive rebound percentage at 27.8%. Meanwhile, Charlotte ranks first in the NBA at corralling defensive boards with a defensive rebound percentage of 79.8%.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first matchup 106-78. Monroe put up a double-double in the victory with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
The odds for Detroit and Charlotte are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Pistons come into this game 23-38 Straight Up (SU) and 29-32 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 15-21 SU and 16-20 ATS against the Eastern Conference. The rebounding edge goes to the Pistons in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 45.5 boards per game.
As for their opponent, the Hornets have 27-33 SU and 29-29-2 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Charlotte is 20-16 SU and 19-15-2 ATS. The Hornets are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fourth in the NBA at 1.8. Shifting to the other side of the court, The Hornets allow just 96.8 points per road game, ranking them fifth in the league. Defensive rebounding is an area where Charlotte has excelled. The Hornets average 32.6 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the league.
In their previous meeting this season, Detroit beat Charlotte, bumping its SU record to 6-4 over the Hornets in their last 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Detroit held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while Charlotte was never able to do so in their most recent 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, ATS Winner – DET
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit’s last 5 games.
Detroit is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Detroit is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Detroit’s last 11 games when playing Charlotte.
Detroit is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing Charlotte.
Detroit is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
Detroit is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit’s last 5 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
On average, Charlotte scores 95.0 points per game (ranked 27th), while Detroit allows 99.7 points per game (ranked 15th).
Charlotte ranks 25th in points per away game with 94.8 points, while Detroit ranks 24th in points allowed at home with 101.5.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Charlotte Hornets are a winning 22-11. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Detroit Pistons have an abysmal record of 8-27.
At 5-22, the Charlotte Hornets have a subpar record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Detroit Pistons are 15-11 when they hit the century mark.
The Hornets have an offensive rating of 98.3 (ranked 29th), while the Pistons rank 17th for their defensive rating of 103.1.
The Detroit Pistons average a field goal percentage of 42.7% this season. The Charlotte Hornets have a poor record of 10-25 when opponents have a FG% of 42.7% or greater.
On average, the Detroit Pistons attempt 25.2 three point field goals per game and the Charlotte Hornets attempt 18.5 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, both teams have losing records; Detroit is 11-17 and Charlotte is 1-2.
The Detroit Pistons rank 16th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.62. The Charlotte Hornets have a higher A/TO (1.84), ranking fourth.
The Detroit Pistons are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 45.5 rebounds per game (ranked fourth). The Charlotte Hornets rank ninth, rebounding 44.3 times each game.
Detroit is ranked 12th in defensive rebounds, while Charlotte ranks 25th in offensive rebounds.
Charlotte has forced an average turnover percentage of 12.4% this season. Detroit has a losing 13-26 record when its TOV% is 12.4% or higher.
