After the NBA Cup wreaked havoc on the regular season schedule, we finally have a busy slate of games Thursday. Among the 12 contest will be a matchup between the Pistons and Mavs at 8:30p.m. ET on NBA League Pass.
Below, we'll preview the game and break down three of the top Pistons vs. Mavs NBA prediction and picks on PrizePicks for today, among them Detroit G Cade Cunningham and Dallas G/F Klay Thompson.
Pistons vs. Mavs Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
The Pistons don’t have any players of note on their injury report, relatively rare for this stage of the season. The Mavericks aren’t as lucky, with F/C Anthony Davis (calf), G D’Angelo Russell (illness), and G Brandon Williams (Achilles) all listed as questionable. Davis also sat out Monday’s 140-133 loss to the Jazz.
Pistons vs. Mavs Over/Under, Spread
The Pistons are 5.5 point favorites, returning a 1.38x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Mavericks are underdogs at home with a 2.77x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Pistons -5.5
- Total: 227.5
- Gamer Winner Payout: Pistons 1.38x | Mavericks 2.77x
Team picks data is live as of publishing and is subject to change.
Pistons vs. Mavs Prediction on Game Winner
- The Pistons have won seven of their last 10 games to improve to 21-5 for the season. That record has them sitting as the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
- The Mavs are 10-17 and currently ranked 12th in the Western Conference.
- Detroit has the second-best defensive rating (111.2) behind the Thunder. Dallas has also excelled in that department, recording the eighth-best mark (112.6).
- The major difference between these two teams has been their performance on the offensive end of the floor. The Pistons rank eighth in offensive rating (117.4), while the Mavericks sit at 28th (109.1).
- Dallas is 4-12 in games that Davis has missed this season, so his status could prove to be key.
Pistons vs. Mavs NBA Picks, Stats for PrizePicks Today
Here are three of the top Pistons vs. Mavs DFS picks on PrizePicks for today. Player projections via the PrizePicks real money NBA game.
Pistons G Cade Cunningham vs. Mavs Projection: 9.5 Assists
- Cunningham posted 10 assists in his last game Monday, a 112-105 win over the Celtics in Boston.
- The former top overall pick is averaging a career high 9.2 assists per game for the season.
- Helping Cunningham’s cause is that he plays a lot. After averaging 35 minutes per game last season, he has logged 36 minutes a night this year.
- The Mavs have allowed an average of 25.9 assists per game. That mark has been worse lately with them permitting an average of 28.0 dimes over their last five matchups.
Mavericks G Klay Thompson vs. Pistons Projection: 9.5 Points
- After starting the first seven games of the season, Thompson has been relegated to mostly coming off the bench.
- With his new role, the former Warrior has averaged only 22 minutes per game for the season.
- While he is playing less, Thompson has actually been more productive as a member of the second unit. He has averaged 8.8 points per game as a starter, compared to 12.2 points a night coming off the bench.
- The veteran has scored at least 10 points in eight of his last nine games. The one time he missed that mark during that stretch was againsta Thunder team that boasts by far the best defensive rating (103.4) in the league.
- Although he has only shot 37.0% from the field for the season, Thompson has shot 41.7% over his last nine matchups.
Pistons G Jaden Ivey vs. Mavs Projection: 1.5 Assists
- Pistons G Jaden Ivey missed the first 15 games of the season while recovering from knee surgery. Since his return, he has come off the bench in all 11 games.
- Not only is the fourth-year guard coming leading Detroit's second unit, but he has only averaged 15 minutes a night.
- The former first-round pick logged 19 minutes in a 142-115 win over the Hawks, then played 21 minutes in Monday’s win over the Celtics.
- With Ivey starting to play more, he has dished out at least 2 assists in four straight games.
- For his career, he has averaged 4.3 assists over 29 minutes a game.
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Cunningham and Ivey will look to rack up assists as the Pistons try to add to their lead atop the Eastern Conference on Thursday.
Trying to help the Mavs get a win will be Thompson, who has increased his scoring output since being moved to the bench. With plenty of projections to consider for Pistons vs. Mavs and the rest of Thursday’s slate, now is the time to build your NBA Lineup on PrizePicks.
Just pick More or Less for at least two NBA player stat projections to build your Lineup on PrizePicks. Check out the Playbook for more NBA DFS picks and analysis all the way through the season.
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