The Detroit Pistons welcome the Charlotte Hornets to The Palace of Auburn Hills. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 25 and can be seen on NBA, FxD and FxS.
The Pistons enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Magic 118-102 on Wednesday. Andre Drummond was a key piece, recording his 59th double-double of the season with 30 points and 14 rebounds. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 105-100 win against the Nets on Tuesday. Jeremy Lin played well for Charlotte, registering 21 points, four assists, and two rebounds.
Nicolas Batum has upped his play over the last five games for the Hornets, averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.8 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 second in offensive rebound percentage at 27.0%. Meanwhile, Charlotte ranks first in the NBA at corralling defensive boards with a defensive rebound percentage of 80.1%. Put-back points also figure to be rare for the Hornets. They rank 27th in the NBA in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 20.1%), while the Pistons are third-best in the league on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 79.2%).
The Hornets have emerged victorious in both games against the Pistons this year, including a 118-103 win the last time these two teams met. Batum put up a double-double in the victory with 17 points and 11 assists.
The Pistons have gone 38-34 Straight Up (SU) and 36-33-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 38-34 SU and 36-33-3 ATS against the Eastern Conference.
As for their opponent, the Hornets have 41-30 SU and 37-33-1 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Charlotte is 41-30 SU and 37-33-1 ATS. Defensive rebounding is an area where Charlotte has excelled. The Hornets average 33.5 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the league. Taking care of the basketball is something the Hornets do very well. They average the fewest turnovers per game in the NBA at 12.0.
Charlotte beat Detroit in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. With a 7-3 record, the Hornets also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cha
Notes
“Detroit is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit’s last 5 games “.
“Detroit is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Detroit’s last 7 games at home”.
“Detroit is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte”.
“Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte”.
“The total has gone OVER in 11 of Detroit’s last 16 games when playing Charlotte”.
“Detroit is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Charlotte”.
“Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Charlotte”.
“The total has gone OVER in 7 of Detroit’s last 8 games when playing at home against Charlotte”.
Detroit ranks 16th in points per game with 102.3, while Charlotte ranks ninth in points allowed with an average of 100.8 given up.
On average, Detroit puts up 106.2 points per home game (ranked seventh). Charlotte ranks 10th in points allowed per road game with 102.6.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Pistons are 24-9 on the season. When the Hornets score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 8-24.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Pistons are just 14-25 this season. Charlotte is an outstanding 33-6 when it hits the century mark.
The Pistons have an offensive rating of 103.9 (ranked 14th). The Hornets rank seventh for their defensive rating of 102.2.
The Detroit Pistons average 98.5 possessions per game and 1.039 points per possession, while the Charlotte Hornets earn fewer possessions (98.0) but more points per possession (1.051).
Detroit has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.3%. Charlotte is 15-19 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Charlotte Hornets make 21.3 assists per game and the Detroit Pistons make 19.3. Charlotte is ranked 19th, while Detroit is ranked 27th.
Detroit makes an average of 3.6 blocks per game (ranked 30th). Charlotte ranks higher in blocks with 5.3 (ranked 12th).
The Detroit Pistons are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked second). Ranked fifth, the Charlotte Hornets are one of the top-ranked defensive rebounding teams.
Detroit averages 7.1 steals per game. Charlotte is 21-16 when allowing at least 7 steals.
