Tipping off during the opening window of tonight’s 10-game NBA Cup slate, the Detroit Pistons will face off with the Brooklyn Nets.
Tonight marks the opening matchup of NBA Cup play, with this pair of teams facing off in the Eastern Conference Group A. The Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, and Toronto Raptors each join them in this group. Tonight’s matchup will also count in the regular season standings, with these teams currently on opposite ends of the Eastern Conference table.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, the Pistons enter as 8.5-point favorites with -325 Moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Nets hold +260 odds to pull off the outright win, with the game total set at 222.5 points.
Pistons vs. Nets Preview
The Detroit Pistons took a major step forward last season, earning the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 60-22 record. They have picked up where they left off, getting off to a 4-1 start with wins over the Celtics, Heat, 76ers, and Hornets. Their lone loss came against the New York Knicks. The Pistons are 4-1 against the spread, while their over/under record is 2-3.
Through the opening five games, the Pistons rank 25th in the NBA in scoring at 109.8 points per game. They also rank 13th in offensive rating, 15th in field-goal percentage, and seventh in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are averaging just 103.4 points per game against Detroit, which ranks second among NBA teams. The Pistons also rank fifth in defensive rating, second in opponents’ field-goal percentage, and 10th in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Cade Cunningham carries a massive offensive load, averaging 22.6 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.6 rebounds through his first five games. Jalen Duren is expected to be his co-star, but he has suited up for just two games and will remain sidelined while recovering from a hamstring strain. Duncan Robinson adds 16.8 points per game while leading the team with 9.2 three-point attempts per contest. Paul Reed has also done an excellent job stepping up in Duren’s absence, averaging 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds to start the year. Daniss Jenkins and John Collins are also averaging double figures, while Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland continue to play key roles.
The Brooklyn Nets limped to a 20-62 record last season, finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference. They are still searching for their first win of the season, holding an 0-4 record overall. Brooklyn has fallen to the Hornets, Cavaliers, Pacers, and Celtics. On the season, the Nets are 2-2 against the spread, and the game total has gone over in three of their four matchups.
Through their opening four games, the Nets rank 14th in the NBA in scoring at 114.2 points per game. Brooklyn also ranks 23rd in offensive rating, 26th in field-goal percentage, and ninth in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are averaging 124.0 points per game against the Nets, which ranks 27th in the league. Brooklyn also ranks 24th in defensive rating, 27th in opponents’ field-goal percentage, and 24th in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Michael Porter Jr. leads the team with 22.8 points per game, along with 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Julius Randle contributes 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game, while Moritz Wagner adds 10.3 points per game. Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. has shown some positive flashes early in his NBA career, averaging 10.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per contest. Egor Demin, Joshua Jefferson, Grant Nelson, and Ben Saraf will each miss tonight’s matchup, while Drake Powell and Noah Clowney are considered questionable.
Pistons vs. Nets Pick, Best Bet
The Pistons have established themselves as legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference, while the Brooklyn Nets are still early in their developmental progression. Brooklyn added some veteran talent this year, headlined by Randle, but its young core still has room to develop before it can consistently compete with the league’s top teams.
Brooklyn is coming off its closest call of the season, falling 125-124 to the Boston Celtics in overtime in its previous game. While the effort is something the Nets will look to build on, their inexperience was also on display. This was most evident when Mikel Brown Jr. missed a layup with 2.3 seconds remaining in overtime while Brooklyn led 124-123. The miss gave Boston another possession, and Jayson Tatum hit a buzzer-beater to secure the win. It was a tough lesson for Brown and the rest of this young squad.
The margin for error is slim for the Nets against the strong defense that the Pistons possess. Detroit ranks second in the NBA in opponents’ points allowed and fifth in defensive rating. Embracing this defensive-minded identity has been a key to the team’s success, and expect it to be on full display tonight. The Pistons held the Hornets to just 89 points in their previous matchup and have allowed fewer than 100 points in two of their last three games. While the Nets currently rank 14th in the league in scoring, they rank 23rd in offensive rating and 26th in field-goal percentage.
My lean is toward the Pistons having no trouble producing the victory and covering the 8.5-point spread. But I am not buying the offensive production of this youthful Nets team and expect they are in for a wake-up call against this elite Detroit defense. Brooklyn has largely benefitted from facing some vulnerable defensive teams that should be expected to finish in the bottom half of the league in each metric when more of a sample size occurs. Count on the 106.5 team point total being too high for Brooklyn tonight and for the Pistons to take full control of this game defensively. The Pistons held the Hornets to 89 points in their previous matchup, and expect the Nets to be in line for closer to this level of production tonight.
