On Saturday afternoon, the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons will meet for the third time this season. The two teams split the first two contests, and Detroit will host the third matchup at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons are coming off a victory in their last game, though Detroit is just 5-39 this season. Washington is 7-37 overall and looking to stop a six-game losing skid. Cade Cunningham (knee) is listed as probable for Detroit after missing the last eight games.
For this game, SportsLine consensus lists the Pistons as 3.5-point favorites, and tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 240 in the latest Wizards vs. Pistons odds. Before you make any Pistons vs. Wizards picks and NBA predictions, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 14 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 48-25 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning over $2,200. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Pistons vs. Wizards and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Wizards vs. Pistons:
- Wizards vs. Pistons spread: Pistons -3.5
- Wizards vs. Pistons over/under: 240 points
- Wizards vs. Pistons money line: Pistons -155, Wizards +132
- Washington: The Wizards are 13-9-1 against the spread in road games
- Detroit: The Pistons are 10-12-1 against the spread in home games
- Wizards vs. Pistons: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Wizards can cover
Washington is led by veteran forward Kyle Kuzma. He is averaging 21.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and Kuzma has scored at least 25 points in 17 different games in 2023-24. Kuzma is also averaging 26.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in two matchups against the Pistons. In those two games, Washington scored 1.19 points per possession with a 60.4% true shooting mark as the Pistons are porous on defense, yielding 120.4 points per 100 possessions to rank in the bottom three of the NBA. Detroit also generates only 12.0 turnovers and 6.0 steals per game on defense, and the Pistons are second-worst in free throw prevention, giving up over 27 attempts per game.
Washington's defense has its own shortcomings, but the Wizards do create havoc on a consistent basis. The Wizards are in the top six of the NBA with 14.7 turnovers created per game, and Washington is above the league average with 7.7 steals and 5.4 blocked shots per contest. Detroit turns the ball over on more than 15% of its offensive possessions, and the Pistons are making only 35.3% of their 3-point attempts this season. See which team to pick here.
Why the Pistons can cover
Detroit has several potential advantages in this matchup, headlined by the rebounding battle. On defense, the Pistons are in the top 10 of the NBA in rebounding, securing 72.2% of missed shots by opponents. Washington is dead-last in the NBA in offensive rebound rate (23.1%), and the Wizards are also in the league's basement with a 66.5% defensive rebound rate this season. In addition, Washington's defense is porous in an overall sense.
The Wizards are second-worst in the NBA in giving up 120.5 points per 100 possessions, and no team allows more assists (30.3 per game) or second-chance points (17.4 per game) than Washington. From there, the Wizards are No. 29 in the NBA in points allowed in the paint (58.9 per game), with bottom-five metrics in opponent 2-point percentage (56.8%) and opponent field goal percentage (49.8%). Detroit is in the top 10 in points in the paint (52.5 per game) on offense, and the Pistons are solidly above the league average in producing 26.4 assists per contest. See which team to pick here.
How to make Pistons vs. Wizards picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, with only one player projected to exceed 20 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the model's NBA picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Wizards vs. Pistons, and which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pistons vs. Wizards spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 48-25 roll on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
