The Charlotte Hornets (7-25) travel to face off against the Detroit Pistons (15-18) on Friday, January 3rd. This game will be played at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and televised on FDSD. The Pistons are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Hornets are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Hornets. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.

Hornets vs Pistons

The Hornets Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Charlotte’s season continued on a rough path with a 115-108 home loss to the Bulls on Monday, dropping their record to 7-25. The Hornets entered the game as +4 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total score of 223 points narrowly missed the O/U line of 224.5.

Charlotte started strong with a 13-0 run, taking the score from 7-5 to 18-7. However, they lost momentum in the 2nd quarter, being outscored 37-22. They fought back, winning the 3rd quarter 25-21 and entered the 4th down just 73-71, but couldn’t complete the comeback, losing the final quarter 27-25.

The Pistons Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Pistons improved to 15-18 on the season with a 105-96 win over the Magic on Wednesday. Detroit, favored by 2.5 points, covered the spread with the victory. The total points for the game were 201, falling 11 points short of the 212-point over/under line.

Detroit jumped out to an early lead, going up 31-21 after the 1st quarter and extending it to 65-49 by halftime. The Magic made a push in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Pistons 26-19, but Detroit held them off in the 4th, as both teams scored 21 points in the final period.

Hornets Offense Breakdown

In their 115-108 loss to the Bulls, the Hornets struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 23.3% and making only 10 threes. Their overall field goal percentage was 41.6%.

Miles Bridges led the way with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, scoring 11 points in the 3rd quarter and 10 more in the 4th. Mark Williams was perfect from the field and finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Seth Curry added 17 points, 12 of which came in the 1st quarter.

Pistons Offense Breakdown

Jaden Ivey’s 22 points and 5 threes on 83.3% shooting helped the Pistons to a win over the Magic, as he shot 72.7% from the field. Cade Cunningham added 19 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds, hitting 4 threes at 66.7%, while Jalen Duren contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 90% from the floor.

Detroit made 12 threes at a 41.4% clip, finishing with a 51.9% overall shooting percentage. Ivey scored 10 points in the 1st quarter, and Tim Hardaway added 10 of his 12 points in the 4th quarter.

Hornets Team Defense

Defensively, the Hornets were strong in the 1st and 3rd quarters, holding the Bulls to just 15 and 21 points, respectively. However, a 37-point 2nd quarter from Chicago proved costly in a 115-108 loss. Charlotte allowed 25 points in the 4th.

Despite the loss, the Hornets held the Bulls to 37% shooting, including 30% from three-point range, where Chicago hit 18 threes. The Bulls also went 19/27 from the free-throw line. Charlotte grabbed 47 defensive rebounds, allowed 14 offensive boards, and recorded 8 steals and 6 blocks.

Pistons Team Defense

The Hornets put together strong defensive efforts in the 1st and 3rd quarters, giving up just 15 and 21 points, respectively, but a rough 2nd quarter where they allowed 37 points contributed to their 115-108 loss to the Bulls. Overall, Charlotte held Chicago to 37% shooting from the field.

From beyond the arc, the Bulls knocked down 18 threes at a 30% clip. The Hornets sent the Bulls to the line 27 times, where they hit 19 free throws. Charlotte grabbed 47 defensive rebounds, allowed 14 offensive boards, and recorded 8 steals and 6 blocks.

Hornets vs Pistons Trends

• Through their last ten road games, Charlotte has an ATS record of just 4-6. However, their overall record was 1-9 while averaging 106 points per game.
• Detroit has played well in their previous five home games, going 3-2 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 116 points per game while allowing 121. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
• Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Hornets have gone 2-3 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 0-5.
• As the betting favorite, the Pistons have an ATS mark of just 3-7 in their last ten games. Detroit posted a straight up mark of 5-5 in these matchups.

Hornets vs Pistons Prediction

The Hornets come in as the underdog at +6.5, making them our top choice on the point spread. We not only expect them to cover the spread but also believe they have a strong chance of winning the game outright, especially if you’re aiming for a higher moneyline payout.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 216.5 and given that our model is projecting 235 points between the teams, we like the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.