After a five-season stretch in which they posted a 94-290 record, this season must feel like a revelation for Detroit Pistons fans. The Pistons’ 120-111 win over the New York Knicks on December 7 was their 10th of the season. Detroit reached double-digit wins exactly three months earlier than it did in 2023-24, when it took 62 games to cross the milestone.
One of the primary reasons for the Pistons’ improved position in the standings — 10-16, half a game behind the Brooklyn Nets, who currently hold the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference — has been the resurgent play of point guard Cade Cunningham. The 2021 first overall pick has become one of the league’s premier playmakers, averaging 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 9.3 assists on 45-38-79 splits.
Cunningham and the Pistons will look to pick up win number 11 tonight as they host the Miami Heat at 7 p.m. ET.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Detroit is a 4.5-point underdog and the point total is set to 219. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bet centered around Cunningham.
Best Cade Cunningham Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
Cade Cunningham O39.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-115)
Among the most important aspects of the venerated “Heat culture” is the stifling defense the team has usually enjoyed under head coach Erik Spoelstra. This year, the Heat have been solid again, ranking 10th with an 111.1 net rating, and they limit the number of possessions in games by playing at the league’s fourth-slowest pace. Monday should be a slow, low-scoring affair, with Detroit being the eighth-slowest team in the NBA.
Still, Cunningham is putting up career highs in scoring, assisting, and rebounding with only a marginal uptick in his usage rate. Plus, the Heat, who are starting six-foot-nine Bam Adebayo at center, are typically undersized, conceding 45.3 rebounds per game, the seventh-most in the NBA. Miami has also struggled to defend ball movement, allowing opponents to rack up 26.8 assists per game, the 11th-most in basketball. Meanwhile, Cunningham has stepped up his playmaking chops in recent weeks, posting double-digit assists in eight of his past 10 games.
Plus, Pistons forward Tobias Harris is set to miss his first game of the season with a thumb injury. The journeyman has been solid in his return to Detroit, averaging 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 45-34-84 shooting splits. Although he is far from the number one scoring option that he was with the LA Clippers a few seasons ago, he’s still a useful piece that owns a 18.5% usage rate so far this season. With those shots needing to go somewhere, Cunningham is a more trustworthy option than any of of the Pistons’ other shooters.
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