Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic Betting Preview/Prop Picks

Both the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic have been eliminated from playoff contention. However, this doesn’t mean that they won’t put on a show on Thursday night.

Detroit has a strong young group of players desperate to prove themselves. One of these players is Cade Cunningham, a talented point guard that will lead the team against the Orlando Magic.

The Orlando Magic also has some good young players on their lineup. Although it hasn’t translated into many wins, they’re building something strong.

The matchup to watch tonight is Cade Cunningham versus Cole Anthony. These two players both play point guard for their respective teams. They also lead their teams in scoring and are both rookies in the NBA.

Detroit Pistons: Interior defense will be a key point here

For the Detroit Pistons, the key for them to win this game is playing good interior defense. This is something they’ve struggled with this season, allowing 112.32 points per game.

Their offense, however, has been struggling this year, even with help from Cade Cunningham. On average, the Pistons offense only puts up 103.49 points per game, ranking 29th in the entire NBA. 

Due to their low offensive output and their defense giving up points, they’ve fallen behind in the standings. They sit second to last in the Eastern Conference and have the most losses aside from the Orlando Magic.

A win here would be huge for the Pistons, but they’re also on the road. This season, the Pistons have only won seven of 28 games when traveling on the road. 

Orlando Magic: Cole Anthony is a bright spot in a bad team

The good news for Orlando is they have the building blocks of a good basketball team. They have a strong young group, and Cole Anthony is on a rookie contract. This means they can take time and build the team around him.

They’ll also be a shoo-in for the No.1 pick in the NBA Draft. However, before that, they have to face the Detroit Pistons and try to pull off a win at home.

The Orlando offense is slightly better than that of the Detroit Pistons. They average 104.24 points per game and shoot 33.1% from the three-point line. Most of this is due to Cole Anthony’s output, averaging 17.3 points per game.

Tonight, they’ll look to him to take down a heavily-injured Detroit Pistons team. What we wonder is whether the Magic can cover the spread at home.

Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic Betting Pick

The Pistons will be without some key players, but they’re also +4.5 in this game. Over their last seven games, the Pistons have gone 6-0-1 against the spread.

In their last three games against the Magic, they’ve gone 2-1, with a 2-1 ATS record as well. They’ve also done well covering the spread on the road, going 5-0-1 ATS in their last six road games. 

Although they’ll likely only win by a small margin, we think the Pistons will come out on top. We’d also take the under in this game, especially when you look at both offenses. In Detroit’s last seven games, the total has gone under six times. 

DunkelIndex Free Pick: Detroit Pistons +4.5, UNDER

Prop Picks

Orlando (-115) UNDER 110.5 Points

Orlando is averaging 104.2 points per game on offense, which ranks No. 28 in the league, while shooting just 43.4 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from 3-point range, which rank No. 28 and 27, respectively. Scores have gone UNDER in five of the Magic’s last seven games as a Vegas favorite.

With Dunkel predicting a Detroit victory by the score of 108-107, take the Magic (-115) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 110.5 points against the Pistons.

Saddiq Bey (-115) OVER 19.5 Points

Bey is averaging 15.8 points per game, which ranks No. 3 on the Pistons. That average increases to 16.4 points per game over his last 10 games and 20.6 points per game in Detroit victories.

With Dunkel predicting a Detroit road win tonight, take the Bey (-115) to contribute on the offensive end and finish OVER his Vegas total of 19.5 points against the Magic.

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