Hornets vs Pistons Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Thursday, March 9th

Check out our free Hornets vs Pistons pick and preview for this NBA game in Detroit. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Hornets vs Pistons NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Charlotte Hornets at Detroit Pistons
Where: Detroit at Little Caesars Arena
Date: Thursday, March 9th
Betting Odds DET +3.5, CHA -160 | DET +133 O/U 226.0

The Hornets come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 21-46. So far, the team has gone 28-34-5 against the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Charlotte has an overall record of 1-2, including going 1-2 against the spread.

The Hornets are coming off a 112-105 win over the Knicks. This away win came despite entering the game as the 9 point underdogs. Charlotte pulled out the win despite trailing by 16 points in the half. The team was able to trim down the Knicks lead down to 2 heading into the 4th quarter. In the win, Kelly Oubre Jr. led the team in scoring with 27 points on a field goal percentage of 58.8%.

So far, the Pistons have put together an overall record of 15-51, while going 30-35-1 vs the spread. The Pistons head into today’s action in the midst of a 9 game losing streak. Their average scoring differential in these defeats is -7.78.

Detroit will be gunning to get in the win column vs Charlotte, as they previously lost to the Wizards by a score of 119-117. However, because they entered as 11 point underdogs, they came away with an ATS win. Detroit let an opportunity for a win slip away as they held a lead going into the 2nd half of action. Leading the team in scoring was Jaden Ivey, as he contributed 26 points while hitting 45.0% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Pistons picked up the win 141-134 win over the Hornets. Heading into the game, Detroit was the 4.5 point underdogs, giving them an ATS win. So far this season, the Pistons have a record of 2-1 vs the Hornets. In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Hornets averaged 135.67 points per game vs Detroit, which was an increase over their season-long average. On the other side, the Pistons also experienced an uptick in scoring during head-to-head matchups, averaging 119.0 points per game vs Charlotte. Across the last 5 matchups between the teams, Detroit has gone 3-2 vs the spread. However, the Hornets actually have a positive scoring margin in these games at +4 points per game. In these matchups, the teams have put together an over-under mark of 3-2. Combined, they averaged 248 points in these games.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

The Hornets come into today’s game as the 26th ranked scoring offense at 111.8 points per game. In terms of pace, the Hornets are on the top units in the NBA, averaging 101.5 possessions per game. Although the Hornets offense does a good job generating possessions, their poor shooting numbers are a key reason for their poor scoring numbers. So far, the team has an effective field goal percentage of just 51.3%.

On defense, the Hornets will look for some improved play, as they are currently the 25th ranked unit in points allowed per game.

This season, the Hornets offense has primarily worked through Terry Rozier and P.J. Washington who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 56 games, Rozier is 41st in the NBA at 21.3 points per game. So far, him and Washington have accounted for 35% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 36.4 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, P.J. Washington is grabbing 4.8 rebounds for Charlotte to go along with 2.4 assists.

This season, the Detroit offense has had their problems scoring the ball as they are a below average unit at 111.4 points per game. So far, the Pistons are averaging 99.8 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. If the Pistons offense is going to turn things around, they will need to either generate more possessions or improve their overall efficiency. Currently, they are just 21st ranked team in 3-point shooting percentage.

On defense, the Pistons will look for some improved play, as they are currently the 22nd ranked unit in points allowed per game.

Jaden Ivey is expected to play a key role in Detroit’s scoring efforts against the Charlotte today, as Bojan Bogdanovic is unavailable. Bogdanovic is the team’s leading scorer this season with 21.6 points per game. Ivey is 2nd in scoring for the team with 15.4 points per game, which ranks him 85.0th in the NBA. In his 61 games, he has hit 41.8% of his field goal attempts and is grabbing 3.9 rebounds per game.