Detroit Pistons vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Opening Week

Brooklyn is the last winless team on the slate, but the Nets just scored 124 points at Boston and lost by one. Detroit arrives 4-1 and favored by more than a touchdown-equivalent on the road, only without the starting center its defense is built around.

The Matchup

Detroit is 4-1 on the strength of its defense. The Pistons allow 103.4 points per game, they score 109.8, and they ground out a 97-89 win over Charlotte on Wednesday. Cade Cunningham leads Detroit at 22.6 points and 7.8 assists per game, and he controls these games late. The problem is who is missing in front of him.

Jalen Duren is out with a strain, with a return expected around November 9, and Duren is Detroit's starting center, its rim protection and its best rebounder. Paul Reed, who leads the available Pistons at 7.6 rebounds per game, steps into a much bigger role than he is built for.

Brooklyn is 0-4, and the start looks worse than the team has played. The Nets score 114.3 points per game and allow 124.0, and on Tuesday they went into Boston and lost 125-124, scoring at will on a good defense. Michael Porter Jr. leads Brooklyn at 22.8 points per game, and Julius Randle leads the team at 5.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game, giving the Nets a second frontcourt creator most rebuilding teams do not have.

With both teams only a week into the season, these numbers pair this season's games with last season's final marks. Detroit was a 60-win team that outscored opponents by 8.2 points per game, while Brooklyn was outscored by 10.0, so the Pistons' edge is real even if this particular price is rich.

DraftKings makes Detroit a 7.5-point road favorite at Barclays Center, with the Pistons at -258 on the moneyline and a total of 221.5.

Key Factors

Duren's absence lands exactly where Brooklyn attacks. Randle works from the elbows and the post, Porter Jr. scores over size, and Reed defending either of them as a full-time starter is a different assignment from his usual bench minutes.

Detroit's perimeter defense is good enough to slow Brooklyn's guards, but the Nets' scoring comes from the frontcourt tonight, and that is where the Pistons are thin. Isaiah Joe is also day-to-day for Detroit with a bruise and a return date of today, so keep an eye on whether Joe plays before placing a bet.

Brooklyn's own report is short. Egor Demin is out with a bruise and Tyler Bilodeau is out with a sprain, and neither absence changes how the Nets play. Their problem is the other end. Brooklyn allows 124.0 points per game, and Cunningham picking apart a weak defense is exactly how this cover dies. If he gets Reed rolling to the rim and Detroit's role players make their open threes, the Pistons can absolutely score enough to clear this number.

What Brooklyn has going for it is shot-making at home and a short memory. The Nets played their best game of the season on Tuesday against a better team than this version of Detroit, and a winless team at home with real scorers is a dangerous favorite-laying spot. Detroit should win. Winning by eight or more on the road, without its center, is a bigger ask than the price admits.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.