by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Nov 05, 2021
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Where to watch: Bally Sports Detroit, YES
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Nets -10; O/U 212
BetMGM: Nets -10; O/U 212.5
Caesars: Nets -10; O/U 212
Season record
Nets: 5-3
Pistons: 1-7
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Nets - Pistons preview and analysis
Recent form
Nets: won three straight; won 117-108 vs. Hawks on Wednesday
Pistons: lost six of seven; lost 117-89 vs. Bucks on Tuesday
The Brooklyn Nets will try to push their winning streak to four when they visit the struggling Detroit Pistons at the palace of pizza (Little Caesars Arena) on Friday.
Brooklyn’s up-and-down start losing three of five seems to have been quieted a bit. The Nets are coming off a nine-point win at home against the Atlanta Hawks. Kevin Durant had 32 points and the Nets were en route to hitting 22 3-pointers in the win.
James Harden chipped in with 16 points and 11 assists, and Durant scored 13 of his points during a 20-4 run in the third quarter.
“We knew it was going to be a process for us. I’m glad we were able to figure some stuff out the last few games and get back on the right page,” Durant said. “We know it’s going to be tougher on the road but we’ve just got to keep grinding.”
Brooklyn is slowly rounding into shape of the team we all expected it would be. Durant leading the charge and Harden slowly becoming a pure point guard -- all because their current point guard is missing a couple of shots -- is the formula that makes this team go.
And that formula somehow has to be solved when the Nets travel to Detroit to face No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham and the Pistons.
It wasn’t that long ago (Sunday, actually) where the Pistons lost by 26 to these same Nets. Detroit followed that up two days later with a 28-point loss to the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Cunningham had another rough night from the floor, shooting 2 of 14 for six points and three assists. Jerami Grant has become the No. 1 option with this absurd Pistons team. The forward had a team-high 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting. Trey Lyles was the only other Pistons player to score in double figures with 13 points and seven rebounds.
"We know this is all part of the growing pains that a young team has to deal with," Grant said. "That doesn't make it any easier to go through what we're going through. We need to get focused tomorrow, because we've got a back-to-back coming up against pretty good teams."
Prediction
The Pistons are in the weird spot of trying to be competitive, but have to integrate Cunningham into this lineup and expect him to be the savior. There isn’t even a No. 2 in this lineup and for Detroit to be good someone has to pick up the slack consistently on a nightly basis. Brooklyn, meanwhile is Brooklyn and should handle this easily. Nets by 15
Betting trends
The under is 7-1 in all Nets’ games this year.
The Nets are 4-3 ATS as a favorite this season.
The Pistons are 1-5 ATS as an underdog this season.
Projected starting lineup
Nets:
PG: James Harden
SG: Joe Harris
SF: Bruce Brown
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Blake Griffin
SF: Bruce Brown
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Blake Griffin
Pistons:
PG: Killian Hayes
SG: Cade Cunningham
SF: Saddiq Bey
PF: Jerami Grant
C: Isaiah Stewart
SF: Saddiq Bey
PF: Jerami Grant
C: Isaiah Stewart
Key injuries
Nets: PF Nic Claxton (illness, out), PG Kyrie Irving (personal, out)
Pistons: None
Statistical leaders
Nets:
Points: Kevin Durant -- 28.2
Rebounds: Kevin Durant -- 8.6
Assists: James Harden -- 8.9
Blocks: LaMarcus Aldridge -- 1.3
Steals: Bruce Brown -- 1.4
Pistons:
Points: Jerami Grant -- 16.8
Rebounds: Saadiq Bey -- 7.9
Assists: Killian Hayes -- 3.0
Blocks: Jerami Grant -- 1.2
Steals: Jerami Grant -- 1.7
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
