Washington vs Detroit: The visitors have an equally good team

Washington have won 14 of their 15 home games against Detroit, and the bookmakers probably think the Wizards are the clear favourites for the upcoming game because of that. After the deadline, the home team has become much weaker, so the Pistons could be in contention to win.

The Wizards are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, only one win behind Atlanta! Only one win, and they have a game left in their schedule. But it would be extremely difficult to clinch a playoff spot, especially with Bradley Beal injured and out for the rest of the season. Kristaps Porzingis may get the long-awaited role of the first star, but for now, he's not playing because of a knee injury. Kyle Kuzma is having a very decent season, averaging 16.2 points, and currently, he's one of Washington's key players on offense. Thomas Bryant was promoted to starting centre upon injury, and Rui Hachimura's playing time is slowly picking up. The progress of rookie Corey Kispert is encouraging: he scored 20 points in 2 of his previous three games. Besides Beal and Porzingis, Daniel Gafford, who should get a more significant role with the club after Montreal Harrell's departure, is in the infirmary.

In their last regular-season game, Wes Unseld.Jr.'s men lost at home to Sacramento State, 110-123. Washington led halfway through the game, thanks largely to long-range shots, with Kispert and Kuzma providing excellent help. Once their long-range shots stopped hitting, their opponent seized the initiative. Seven Wizards players scored 10+ points, but that wasn't enough. Their loss to the Kings was their 8th in their last ten regular-season games.

The Pistons have lost seven games in a row and remain in last place in the Eastern Conference. The return of Jerami Grant has not helped either, although Cade Cunningham has gradually gained confidence after a poor start to the season. If the Detroit leaders get their game going, the team could win a single game, but as it is, the club's situation is very typical for those who went into the rebuild. Against the Wizards, Marvin Bagley, who once showed great promise and was selected with the 2nd pick in the draft, should make his debut for the Pistons. That leaves only Isaiah Livers and Frank Jackson out. It shouldn't be too difficult to replace them because Detroit has plenty of point guards and heavy forwards.

Dwane Casey's team had a good start against Charlotte but still lost by a combined score of 119-41. Jerami Grant missed a lot at first, but he came around and made 6 of 12 shots on net. Detroit allowed 70 points in the paint, and their opponent had a much better shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Saddiq Bey was the highest scorer for the Pistons with 25 points.

Detroit made 34.3% of their three-pointers and managed 119 points in the last game, with Jerami Grant not being as prominent on offense. True, the Pistons' current opponent plays a rather draughty basketball game, and the low tempo can drastically diminish the number of shots from the game. Washington also depend heavily on three-pointers, as evidenced by their recent encounter with Sacramento State. However, the home team's snipers are few, and they can hardly take advantage of their opponent's poor defense at the arc. With Beal injured and Dinwiddie gone, the home team is a little better than Detroit in terms of their roster, if not worse. The odds are even, and we should take advantage of the skew in the bookmakers' line. I suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• Handicap 2 (+5.5) for 1.74;
• Total Under 217.5 points for 2.05;
• Thomas Bryant: Total Over 12.5 points for 1.91.