Can the Pistons end their 23-game losing streak in Atlanta?
How absurd is the 23-game losing streak the Detroit Pistons are stuck in currently? The Michigan Wolverines football team, who play once a week and are currently off for about a month to prepare for the playoffs, have five wins since Oct. 28, while the Pistons have none.
Here’s another one that will blow your mind: the Texas Rangers have more wins since Oct. 28 than the Pistons (two wins compared to none), and the Rangers won the World Series to end the baseball season on Nov. 1, or almost seven weeks ago. It’s not too late to instantly receive valuable new sign-up promotions with Michigan’s top sportsbooks.
The losses are painful for the fans, and they weigh heavily on a team—a young team—that can’t find the collective spirit to galvanize itself to a win because it lacks an identity. The Pistons have a few useful young players, but none of them have the guidance and sense of purpose needed to boost the team to wins. For hoops fans looking at the best NBA betting sites, it’s a conundrum: the Pistons are a mess we can’t keep our eyes off, but it’s difficult to find the odds for the best move forward.
Going to Twitter for analysis is sort of like asking your pet for driving directions. Sure, you might get an enthusiastic set of data (possibly with a tail wag), but you’ll end up in the wrong part of town.
That’s why we have to take Twitter/X criticism of Detroit head coach Monty Williams with some heavy doses of salt. It’s not surprising that Williams forced his players to earn playing time when he arrived at camp last summer. It’s even refreshing.
But, for some critics, with 22 losses staring down from the scoreboards, it’s getting ridiculous to see Jaden Ivey averaging only 23 minutes per game. Last season, Ivey was one of the best rookies in the NBA, averaging 16.3 PPG and 5.3 APG. For some reason, unknown outside the Pistons’ locker room, Williams has a beef with Ivey. He’s only started the second-year Guard in six games.
Ivey and Cade Cunningham were projected to be a great young backcourt for Detroit. Instead, Cunningham has been left to shoulder the load as a point and the leading scoring threat. His turnovers (near league high levels per minute) have hampered Detroit’s offense. Meanwhile, Ivey’s reduced playing time has to be one of the reasons he’s shooting just 28.6% from beyond the three-point line.
Fans are unhappy that Ivey has been losing playing time while Williams shuttles 10-11 players in and out nearly every game. Only three players, Cunningham, Bojan Bogdanović, and Isaiah Stewart, are averaging as much as 30 minutes per game. Injuries haven’t helped: Bojan Bogdanović and Jalen Duren have missed extended time.
Even so, the carousel hasn’t helped define what this team is, and Williams has failed to build any semblance of lineup consistency. Players just seem to check in and out of games, without a matchup advantage, and absent cohesion.
The $78 million the Pistons owe Williams is the main reason he hasn’t been fired yet. No NBA team would simply allow a losing streak drag on beyond five weeks without cleaning out someone’s desk. But. Detroit owes Monty a lot of cash, and that’s a great deal for Williams.
On Nov. 14 in Detroit, the Pistons hung with the Hawks for three quarters. They were down by eight as the fourth quarter started in that game, and inched within three before losing by six. The team has had only one game since that was as close, while losing 14 more.
If something might work in favor of the Pistons, it’s the Hawks’ 3-7 record at home. It’s tough to figure out why Atlanta plays better outside of Georgia, but maybe Williams and his players can make that trend stand up. We aren’t hopeful, though. Not with Duren out, and Cunningham struggling with his shooting (5-for-29 and 17% from 3-point range in his last six games).
The Pistons will remember their inspired performance against the Hawks last month, and we think enough scoring will be present from Bogdanović (24.6 PPG his last three games), that Detroit keeps it under a ten-point game. New sign ups on FanDuel Sportsbook can instantly bet $5 and get $150 in Bonus Bets.
Considering how dreadful the season is going, we feel fortunate to be only $40 down on our Pistons betting.
- Swishes: 7
- Airballs: 7
- Bankroll: Minus $40
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Detroit was not overmatched by Atlanta back in November when these two teams met. Cunningham go off for 30-plus, and Bogdanović might pour in two dozen to finally stab a dagger in the heart of this dragon of a losing streak. But, the Pistons lack of inside game without Duren, and the overall sagging offense keep us from picking Detroit to win on Monday.
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