Defense is once again proving to be the staple of the Detroit Pistons, who head into Charlotte on Monday looking for their sixth win in seven games. Their last two opponents scored just 94 and 89 points, and one of those defeats was in fact to the Hornets, who they’ll play for the second time this season. This has been one of the more lopsided rivalries in the league in recent memory, as the Pistons have won six games in a row by an average of 12 points. What is particularly impressive in all those games is that the highest point total by the Hornets was 104 points, while in four of them they scored 100 or less. So even if Jalen Duren isn’t at their disposal, the Pistons don’t seem too bothered by that.
After a hot 3-1 start to their season, the Hornets have cooled off a bit, losing their last three to the Pistons, Wizards and Sixers. Scoring has notoriously been an issue during this stretch; teams have finally figured out where the most danger comes from and have adjusted accordingly. Some of those issues might be fixed rather sooner than later as Coby White is expected to make his season debut on Monday. That’ll undoubtedly be a boost, but it might take the Hornets a couple of games to slot him back into the thick of things. Kon Knueppel remains out dealing with his hamstring injury, and until he gets back, we cannot say that this team is close to being at 100% of their ability on offense.
Don’t expect a fast-paced game here as these are the 29th and 30th-ranked teams in terms of pace. Getting Coby White back helps the Hornets a bit, but I’ll always take elite defense over good offense. Give me the Pistons to cover.
Pistons vs Hornets prediction: Pistons -4.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable to Pistons -5.
