Detroit Pistons vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/31/2022

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Saturday, December 31, 2022

Venue:  Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

Where to Watch:  BSDETX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Pistons +7.5, Timberwolves -7.5; Over/Under:  NL points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Pistons +7.5, Timberwolves -7.5; Over/Under:  NL points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Pistons +7.5, Timberwolves -7.5; Over/Under:  NL points

 

Detroit Pistons:  9-28 (5th place, Central Division)

Minnesota Timberwolves:  16-19 (4th place, Northwest Division)

 

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Detroit Pistons:  1-9 last 10

Minnesota Timberwolves:  3-7 last 10

 

The Pistons are coming into this game with a 9-28 record overall and they are 4-15 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They still have a game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night that needs to be played first as this is the 2nd leg of a back-to-back for them on Saturday. They are entering this game off of a win against the Orlando Magic in their last game. Alec Burks led the team in points in that game with 32 while Saddiq Bey was next on the team with 28 points. Bojan Bogdanović led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Jalen Duren led the team in rebounds with 18. They were 45% from the field, 42.9% from 3-point range, and 77.5% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 111.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 118.5 PPG against them. The Pistons have an ATS record of 17-17-3 this season and their O/U record is 21-15-1.

 

 

 

The Timberwolves are coming into this game with a 16-19 record overall and they are 9-8 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They still have a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night that needs to be played first as this is the 2nd leg of a back-to-back for them on Saturday. They are entering this game on a 4 game losing streak with losses coming against the Dallas Mavericks, the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat, and the New Orleans Pelicans in their last game. Anthony Edwards and D'Angelo Russell each led the team in points in that game with 27 while Jaden McDaniels was next on the team with 19 points. D'Angelo Russell led the team in assists in that game with 4 while Rudy Gobert led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 50.6% from the field, 34.5% from 3-point range, and 75% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 114.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 115.7 PPG against them. The Timberwolves have an ATS record of 14-21 this season and their O/U record is 16-19.

The current betting odds have the Pistons listed as a 7.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pistons haven't been very good this season with one of the worst records in the NBA and they have also been a terrible road team for most of the year too. The Pistons have still managed to keep a lot of their games close though and even though they are playing this game on a back-to-back, the Timberwolves will also be playing on a back-to-back here. The Timberwolves have been better than the Pistons this season but not by much as they still have a losing record and they haven't even been great at home either with just a 9-8 home record. Both of these teams are going to be tired from their games the night before and both will have to travel for this game too with the Timberwolves coming back home from a road game. The Timberwolves have also been dealing with injuries to some of their best players and things really haven't gone the way they expected them to go this season either. The Timberwolves should still win this game but this is too many points for them to cover here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pistons to cover the spread in this game.

 

Pistons Timberwolves Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Saturday, December 31, 2022 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Timberwolves 117 Pistons 114.

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Detroit Pistons: 12-18 ATS in December games. 15-7 OVER as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 19-12 OVER when the total is greater than or equal to 220. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: 27-17 ATS in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 230. 20-12 ATS when playing 4 or less games in 10 days. 24-19 OVER in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 230.

 

 

Detroit Pistons:  H. Diallo (PG) Elig Sat - Suspension. K. Hayes (PG) Elig Wed - Suspension. M. Bagley III (PF) Ques Fri - Illness. I. Livers (PF) Early Jan - Shoulder. C. Cunningham (PG) out for season - Shin.

Minnesota Timberwolves:  K. Anderson (SF) Out indefinitely - Back. T. Prince (SF) Early Jan - Shoulder. J. McLaughlin (PG) Out indefinitely - Calf. K. Towns (C) Mid Jan - Calf.

 

 

 

“I need an explanation about the decision because my understanding is you can’t leave the bench area and escalate a situation. That’s when really bad things can happen.” - Dwane Casey after his team’s win against the Magic in their game on Wednesday.

 

 

“We let him come running at us, and he was able to get a head of steam. When he does that, it’s tough.” - Chris Finch on his team’s defense against Zion Williamson in their loss to the Pelicans on Wednesday.

 

 

 

PG Cory Joseph

SG Jaden Ivey

SF Bojan Bogdanovic

PF Isaiah Stewart

C Jalen Duren

 

PG D'Angelo Russell

SG Anthony Edwards

SF Jaden McDaniels

PF Naz Reid 

C Rudy Gobert

 

 

PPG: B. Bogdanovic (20.7)

APG: C. Cunningham (6)

Reb/G: J. Duren (8.6)

 

PPG: A. Edwards (23.5)

APG: D. Russell (6.5)

Reb/G: R. Gobert (12)

 

Coaches:

Detroit Pistons: Dwane Casey (5th season)

Minnesota Timberwolves: Chris Finch (3rd season)