PREMIUM
***VERY EARLY*** Rogers' TOTAL MASSACRE >> 12:30 ET TIPOFF!
(NBA) Charlotte vs. Detroit,
Total: 205.00 | -110.00 Over
Result: Loss
Total: 205.00 | -110.00 Over
Result: Loss
The set-up: The 22-19 Detroit Pistons have yet to master the art of winning on the road (just 9-14) but they are 13-5 at home on the season and tonight against the 16-25 Charlotte Hornets, will look to extend their current home winning streak to six games. Detroit snapped a five-game road slide with a 114-80 rout of the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday and had a chance to come home off a winning three-game road trip but they dropped the finale 107-105 at Chicago on Saturday. The Pistons are 2-4 their last six games, with all four losses on the road. The Hornets had a chance to end a three-game homestand with a winning mark but, like the Pistons, they dropped the finale 101-91 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, while totaling 32 points in the second half. "It looked to me like we ran out of gas in that second half," associate head coach Stephen Silas told reporters after the game.
Charlotte: The Hornets got excellent play from their backcourt duo of Walker and Batum last season but this year, while Walker has played pretty much the same (21.8 & 5.7 APG), Batum was sidelined early with an injury (has played just 27 of 41 games) and is down almost five PPG, from 15.1 to 10.2 Charlotte has failed to reach 100 points in either of its last two games and shot 39.8 percent from the floor in Saturday's setback. The backcourt combination of Walker and Batum combined to go 9-of-30 from the floor and committed nine of the team's 14 turnovers. Batum is battling through a particularly rough stretch while averaging 7.8 points on 31 percent shooting in the last four games and his backup, Jeremy Lamb (who has made 14 starts in place of Batum and is averaging 14.1 & 4.7 on the season), was only able to muster six points off the bench on Saturday.
Detroit: The Pistons have been erratic lately but continue to get strong performances from center Andre Drummond (14.6 & 15.0), who averaged 19.7 points and 16.3 rebounds on the three-game trip. Drummond (21 & 15) and SG Avery Bradley (26 points) were solid against the Bulls but leading scorer Tobias Harris (18.2 & 5.2) slumped to seven points on 3-of-14 shooting in Saturday's loss. Bradley (15.7) and PG Jackson (14.6 & 5.5 APG) form a nice starting backcourt but along with Harris and Drummond are the onlt Detroit players in double figures on the season.
The pick: Detroit returns home to Little Caesars Arena tos play 14 of its next 17 games. That stretch begins with a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, whom the Pistons defeated 102-90 in the inaugural regular-season game in the new building. Detroit rank just 25th in scoring but allows just 101.5 PPG, to rank 5th. With Charlotte struggling to score as of late (see above), expect the final to mirror the first meeting, when the teams combined to score only 192 points. Make the Under a 10* play.
Charlotte: The Hornets got excellent play from their backcourt duo of Walker and Batum last season but this year, while Walker has played pretty much the same (21.8 & 5.7 APG), Batum was sidelined early with an injury (has played just 27 of 41 games) and is down almost five PPG, from 15.1 to 10.2 Charlotte has failed to reach 100 points in either of its last two games and shot 39.8 percent from the floor in Saturday's setback. The backcourt combination of Walker and Batum combined to go 9-of-30 from the floor and committed nine of the team's 14 turnovers. Batum is battling through a particularly rough stretch while averaging 7.8 points on 31 percent shooting in the last four games and his backup, Jeremy Lamb (who has made 14 starts in place of Batum and is averaging 14.1 & 4.7 on the season), was only able to muster six points off the bench on Saturday.
Detroit: The Pistons have been erratic lately but continue to get strong performances from center Andre Drummond (14.6 & 15.0), who averaged 19.7 points and 16.3 rebounds on the three-game trip. Drummond (21 & 15) and SG Avery Bradley (26 points) were solid against the Bulls but leading scorer Tobias Harris (18.2 & 5.2) slumped to seven points on 3-of-14 shooting in Saturday's loss. Bradley (15.7) and PG Jackson (14.6 & 5.5 APG) form a nice starting backcourt but along with Harris and Drummond are the onlt Detroit players in double figures on the season.
The pick: Detroit returns home to Little Caesars Arena tos play 14 of its next 17 games. That stretch begins with a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, whom the Pistons defeated 102-90 in the inaugural regular-season game in the new building. Detroit rank just 25th in scoring but allows just 101.5 PPG, to rank 5th. With Charlotte struggling to score as of late (see above), expect the final to mirror the first meeting, when the teams combined to score only 192 points. Make the Under a 10* play.
