Pistons vs Pelicans Prediction

New Orleans Pelicans (2-1) vs Detroit Pistons (2-2)

Game Info: Thursday, November 2, 2023 at 8:00 pm (Smoothie King Center)

Betting Odds: New Orleans Pelicans -7.5 -- Over/Under: 221.5

The Detroit Pistons and the New Orleans Pelicans duke it out at the Smoothie King Center on Thursday night.

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have lost three of their first five games and they will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after coming up short against the Trail Blazers in a 110-101 loss last night. Cade Cunningham led the team with 30 points, five rebounds and four assists, Ausar Thompson added 16 points while Isaiah Stewart chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Pistons shot 44 percent from the field and 11 of 29 from the 3-point line as they got off to a quick start and built a 12-point lead going into halftime, but they couldn't keep it up and looked like a different team in the second half where they got outscored by 63-42.

Detroit Pistons Team Facts

• The Pistons have lost each of their last 10 games on the second leg of a back-to-back after losing as favorites.
• The Pistons have covered the spread in each of their last eight games after losing as favorites.
• Each of the Pistons' last four road games on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone UNDER the total points line.

New Orleans Pelicans

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have looked good with three wins in their first four outings and they will be looking to keep it going after sneaking past the Thunder in a 110-106 road win last night. CJ McCollum led the team with 29 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, Zion Williamson added 20 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists while Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 19 points and nine rebounds. As a team, the Pelicans shot just 39 percent from the field and 13 of 42 from the 3-point line as they got off to a horrible start, getting outscored by 33-14 in the first quarter, but instead of panicking, the Pelicans methodically chipped away and eventually came out on top in a close finish despite their cold shooting night.

New Orleans Pelicans Team Facts

• The Pelicans have won each of their last 11 games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents following a win.
• The Pelicans have covered the spread in each of their last six games as favorites following a road win.
• Each of the Pelicans' last four games against Eastern Conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Pelicans rank 30th in the league for opponent rebounds per game this season (52.3).
• The Pelicans rank 1st in the league for opponent three-point percentage this season (26.5%).
• The Pistons rank T1st in the league for opponent assists per game this season (20.4).
• The Pistons rank 30th in the league for turnovers per game this season (18.6).

Peter's Pick

The Pistons are shorthanded once again as Jalen Duren, Alec Burks and Monte Morris are all out, while the Pelicans will be missing Brandon Ingram, Naji Marshall and Jose Alverado. The Pistons have already won a couple games this season which is more than I thought, but they looked terrible in the second half against the Trail Blazers last night, so I'm definitely more interested in taking the Pelicans who are coming fresh off a win over the Thunder.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.