The Pistons are hosting the Lakers on Monday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Los Angeles is favored by 2.5 points and this game carries a total of 226.5 points.
Let’s dive into my preview and pick.
Pistons vs. Lakers preview
The Pistons defeated the Lakers 128-106 in Los Angeles back in December. Cade Cunningham was dominant that night, posting 27 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, but he unfortunately won’t be available tonight. The guard was diagnosed with a collapsed lung last week and Detroit is hoping Cunningham will be back in time for the playoffs. The guard is a true MVP candidate, averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game for the No.1 seeded Pistons, but Cunningham won’t be eligible or any awards or All-NBA honors if he doesn’t play in four more regular season games to meet the 65-game rule.
Detroit is 7-2 with Cunningham inactive this season, but this record is slightly misleading, as the only non-lottery bound teams the Pistons have faced without Cunningham have been the Clippers and the Warriors, both of which are no world beaters, sitting eighth and 10th in the Western Conference, respectively. Also, when we look at Detroit’s splits with Cunningham on and off the floor, his impact is clear. The Pistons own a 10.9 net rating with Cunningham on the floor, but that number drops to 3.8 with him off. The Pistons still play great defense without Cunningham, but their offense suffers dramatically without him, which isn’t a surprise.
Daniss Jenkins is a solid replacement starter for Cunningham and Jalen Duren tends to always put up big numbers in the guard’s absence, but there is no denying Detroit is a weaker club without their star and the red hot Lakers coming to town tonight is the most challenging test the Pistons have faced without Cunningham this season.
Los Angeles has won nine straight games, which is the second-longest active winning streak in the league, trailing only the Spurs with 11 in a row. During this win streak for the Lakers, Luka Doncic has been on another level, averaging 40 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game while shooting 49% from the field. In his second-to-last start, Doncic torched the Heat for 60 points, which is the most ever scored against the franchise.
This incredible run has firmly put Doncic in the MVP discussion. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the guard carries the second-best odds to win the award at +1000. On top of Doncic’s stellar play, both Austin Reaves and LeBron James have been playing well for Los Angeles during this win streak, averaging 23.3 and 19 PPG, respectively.
The Lakers hang their hat on the offensive end, while the Pistons pride themselves on defense, especially sans Cunningham, so this should be an interesting clash between two of the NBA’s highest seeds.
Pistons vs. Lakers pick, best Bet
With Cunningham missing, it’s hard to envision the Pistons stopping the ascending Lakers and the club should extend it’s win streak to 10 straight tonight.
Los Angeles is 8-1 ATS during this win streak and the team is 28-14 ATS as a favorite this season. The Lakers -2.5 is a strong play for this matchup.
