Denver vs Detroit Prediction: the Pistons are Simply Bad

Detroit has lost the five meetings against Denver, and the Pistons' last away win was in 2016. The Nuggets are noticeably weaker - will the visitors take advantage of the situation?

Denver

The Nuggets have been associated with Nikola Jokic for the last couple of years and have built their game around him, so it's no surprise that his loss has hit the team hard. As a result, Denver has failed 2 of 3 games, but they still share second place with Phoenix in the Western Conference. During the 3-game stretch, Bones Hyland, usually coming off the bench, scored the most, averaging 22.3 points. Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope stayed in the same roles, but Michael Porter, Jr. has declined, hitting just 32.6% of his shots. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are unlikely to be back for the game, Jeff Green is out, and the participation of Aaron Gordon and Ish Smith is questionable.

The day before, Michael Malone's team took revenge on Dallas for their recent 98-97 loss. First, the Nuggets defended well, throwing 11 steals in the process. Porter Jr. had an excellent game and was the only starting five who hit at least 50% of his shots off the bench. The main hero was Hyland, with 29 points. The reserves helped immensely in the game as Davon Reed, Vlatko Cancar, Zeke Nnaji, and Christian Brown made 9 of 16 shooting attempts.

Detroit

The Pistons also played their last few games without three of their starting five. Cade Cunningham's injury may be severe, and one of the club's leaders will miss an extended stretch. Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey are also in the infirmary, with the latter dropping out just at the end of last week. As a result, Detroit suffered seven straight losses and remained in last place in the Eastern Conference. On offense, it's hard to say anything against the Pistons, but defensively the team is one of the worst in the rating for a reason. The good news is that Alec Burks and Marvin Bagley are slowly regaining their form after injury, and Burks has been one of Detroit's best shooters as we advance.

Last regular season game, Dwayne Casey's team lost on the road to Sacramento State, 129-137. The Pistons constantly created three-point opportunities and converted 51.7% of their long-range attempts. Four bench players earned 10+ points: Kevin Knox, Alec Burks, Jaylen Duren, and Cory Joseph. The leading scorer was suddenly Jaden Ivey, who had 4 for four from beyond the arc with 24 points. One of the main reasons for the loss was that Detroit missed a lot from the paint, but the score could have been more excellent if the opponent had hit open shots.

Expert Betting Tips

Denver looked chaotic in their recent game against Dallas, and the team needs to figure out what to do when they don't have a key playmaker. Yes, it's similar for Detroit, but the visitors have Ivy and Hayes, who is surprisingly good at directing the offense. Without Bey and Cunningham, it will be difficult to extend the defense, but the Pistons still have good snipers. The teams' recent head-to-head encounters have been tight, and we should expect something similar now. 

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