Despite the fact that both teams are operating without their primary stars, tonight’s clash between the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks still shapes up as an intriguing contest with some betting value on both sides. These two teams are riding significant winning streaks despite the injuries to Cade Cunningham and Trae Young, but on Tuesday, something has to give.
Here’s a Pistons vs. Hawks prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Monday’s matchup.
Pistons vs. Hawks prediction, preview
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks enter this contest on a five-game winning streak despite the absence of their star point guard, Trae Young. In his absence, Jalen Johnson has emerged as a legitimate lead option with 20.6 PPG, 10.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists while shooting an astounding 59.6% from the field and 52.2% from three-point range. Offseason acquisition Nickeil Alexander-Walker is also in the midst of career-best production with 17.8 PPG. However, the next three leading scorers — Kristaps Porzingis, Onyeka Okongwu, and Zaccharie Risacher — are all questionable with various injuries tonight. That could leave Atlanta quite shorthanded, spelling a serious problem. If they play though, we can look toward the team’s stats thus far for a picture of performance. The Hawks average the 17th-most PPG while holding opponents to the eighth-fewest, and their NETRTG of +3.5 ranks 13th in the league. Those are some impressive marks given that Young hasn’t played since late October, so it’s tough to rule this squad out.
Detroit Pistons
Looking toward the Pistons, Cade Cunningham is also questionable to play tonight. With 27.5 PPG and 9.9 assists a night, his return would mark a serious boost for a team that’s shown it can grit its teeth to win games even in the star’s absence. Detroit’s won 10 straight contests despite its lead guard missing the last three, and it’s clear the Pistons are truly building something special in the Eastern Conference. They sit 12th in scoring while holding opponents to the fourth-fewest PPG, and their NETRTG of +6.5 comes in fifth league-wide. Center Jalen Duren has taken a huge step with a career-high 20.3 PPG and 12.3 rebounds, while Ausar Thompson sits third on the team with 13.9 PPG as an emerging two-way threat. Tobias Harris, Duncan Robinson, and Isaiah Stewart all play their respective roles well with double-digit points too, while second-year guard Daniss Jenkins’ 11.6 PPG and 4.1 assists indicate signs of growth as well. However, Thompson and Harris are questionable tonight while Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser remain out.
Pistons vs. Hawks pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook’s odds indicate a toss-up in Atlanta tonight. The Hawks are slight favorites at -1.5 with -115 odds on the Moneyline while the Pistons are listed at -105 to win outright on the road. The game total is set at 229.5 points.
The Pistons are 4-1 on the road this season while the Hawks are just 2-3 at home. In all honesty, the injury report will tell all tonight — with practically half of each rotation listed questionable, including Detroit’s superstar, it’s quite difficult to pick the outcome here. Until we get some additional clarity, it’s tough to truly make a call.
However, the under does hold some appeal given the information we do have at the time this article is published a few hours prior to tip-off. The Pistons are second in DEFRTG while the Hawks are fifth in the stat, and both teams rank inside the top-10 in opponent PPG allowed. These are some high-quality defenses, and if even just a couple of important role players don’t suit up on either side, the scoring outlook drops even more tonight. In lieu of a winner or cover pick, I’m taking the under here without much second thought.
Top pick: Under 229.5 points (-108)
