Deeee-troit! Baasket-ball!
All of a sudden, the Detroit Pistons are 11-4 in their last 15 games, with the 10th-best offensive rating and the 10th-best defensive rating in the NBA across that span. Detroit is over .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2018-19, it’s already racked up 22 wins after amassing just 14 all of last season. Cade Cunningham, averaging career-highs in points (24.5), rebounds (6.5), assists (9.3), and blocks (0.8) while shooting it more efficiently than ever (51.2% effective field goal percentage), is virtually guaranteed to make his first All-Star appearance in a few weeks.
Tonight, the Pistons will travel to Atlanta for a 7:30 p.m. ET clash against the Hawks, who are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, just half a game ahead of Detroit.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Detroit (+124 Moneyline) is a slight underdog and the total is set for 234.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around Cunningham.
Best Cade Cunningham Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Cade Cunningham to Record a Triple-Double (+800)
Cunningham, as one of 17 players averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game, is one of the most well-rounded players in the league. Although he has only dropped one triple-double across the course of the Pistons’ 15-game hot stretch — a 22-point, 10-rebound, 17-assist masterpiece against the Toronto Raptors on January 11 — he has had at least nine assists nine times and at least nine rebounds twice. Across Detroit’s last 15 games, Cunningham has averaged 14.2 potential assists and 9.5 rebound chances per game, so the opportunity is definitely there.
If there’s any team he’ll be able to record his eighth triple-double against, it’s Atlanta, which has the league’s 12th-worst defensive rating and plays at its second-fastest pace. Overall, the Hawks have allowed the third-most points (119.0), 12th-most rebounds (44.7), and third-most assists (28.5) to opposing players. Although Atlanta most recently allowed a triple-double on January 1, when Denver’s Nikola Jokić dropped 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 15 assists in just three quarters, the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown came close on January 18, scoring 24 points and adding 11 rebounds and eight assists. Cunningham posted a triple-double in the teams’ first matchup of the season, a 122-121 Pistons victory on November 8.
Cade Cunningham O4.5 Turnovers (-135)
As Cunningham has taken on a bigger role in Detroit’s offense, his turnovers have also increased, and he’s second in the league, coughing up 4.5 turnovers per game. He hasn’t done any better during the Pistons’ hot stretch, including a ghastly 10-turnover performance in Detroit’s most recent game, a road upset over the Houston Rockets on January 20.
For all of the Hawks’ defensive weaknesses, Atlanta excels at forcing turnovers, thanks to shooting guard Dyson Daniels, whose 3.1 steals per game and 6.5 deflections per game both lead the league by a huge margin. In addition to Daniels, power forward Jalen Johnson — who’s questionable with a shoulder injury — and point guard Trae Young also rank among the league’s 40 most prolific ball thieves. Cunningham’s usage rate increased slightly after shooting guard Jaden Ivey went down with a broken leg on January 1 and he saw an uptick in his turnovers per game, from 4.4 prior to Ivey’s injury to 4.8 since then.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
