Sacramento Kings vs Detroit Pistons Predictions, Props & Odds

Dec 26, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) dribbles in the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY SportsThe NBA-worst Detroit Pistons start life without Cade Cunningham on Tuesday when the Sacramento Kings head to the Motor CitySacramento is coming off an embarrassing 33-point home loss to New OrleansSee the Kings vs Pistons odds, predictions, and player props, below

Coming off a brutal 133-100 loss at home to the New Orleans Pelicans, a game they trailed by 50 at one point, the Sacramento Kings (21-14, 8-7 away, 18-17 ATS) see a welcome sight on their schedule on Tuesday, travelling to the Motor City to face the league-worst Detroit Pistons (3-33, 2-14 home, 14-21-1 ATS), who are missing leading scorer Cade Cunningham due to a knee injury.

The Kings vs Pistons odds are heavily tilted towards Sacramento, which is laying double-digits on the road for the first time this season.

Sacramento Kings vs Detroit Pistons Odds

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Detroit Run Over by Denver Last Game

Playing three quarters without their leading scorer, the Pistons had the unenviable task of facing the reigning NBA-champion Nuggets in Denver on Sunday. Detroit kept it relatively close for a half, trailing 65-57 at the break, but a 43-28 third-quarter advantage for the Nuggets put the game out of reach.

Jalen Duren had a team-high 20 points in the loss while Alec Burks added 18 off the bench.

The strong first-half showing continued a trend for the Pistons, who have been much better in the first 24 minutes than the final two quarters all season. Detroit has actually led at halftime in three of its last six games, including taking a 66-47 lead into halftime against the NBA-best Boston Celtics in a game they would go onto lose in overtime.

Though the Pistons have half as many wins as any other team in the East, and two fewer than the Western Conference-worst San Antonio Spurs, the analytics say they aren’t actually the worst team in the NBA. San Antonio has a worse Net Rating (-11.2 vs -10.9) and point differential (-11.4 vs -11.1), while Charlotte (-10.5) and Washington (-10.8) are right in the same ballpark. So while the Pistons did set an NBA record for futility this season when they lost 28 straight games, they aren’t historically bad, statistically.

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Sacramento Starting Five-Game Road Trip on Sour Note

In their final game before their current five-game road trip, the Kings were embarrassed on their home court by the New Orleans Pelicans, losing each of the first three quarters by at least 12 points and trailing 103-61 when the fourth got underway.

For the first time in 13 games, no one on the team managed to reach the 20-point plateau. Leading scorer De’Aaron Fox (28.3 PPG, 6.0 APG) had a truly horrendous game, going 1-of-10 from the field and scoring just three points in 26 minutes.

The Kings were victimized by the Pelicans’ red-hot shooting. New Orleans was a scorching 19-of-35 from beyond the arc (54.3%) and 50-of-82 from the field (61%) while out-rebounding Sacramento by an +26 margin (51-25).

Sacramento vs Detroit Player Props

Player props from the DraftKings Sportsbook app.  

Kings vs Pistons Prediction

I wouldn’t go as far as to say the Pistons are a better team without Cunningham, but I do not expect the drop-off to be terribly big.  Cade’s Player Efficiency Rating is just 15.6, which is only the fourth-best on his own team. Detroit has shown a penchant to hang with much better teams, especially early on. As Sacramento embarks on a long road trip, don’t be surprised to see the Kings come out sluggish.

Kings vs Pistons pick: Pistons first-quarter moneyline (+190)

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NBA betting record:

10-8-2 ATS (+1.41 units)9-10 ML (-2.07 units)5-11 player props (-6.60 units)0-1 same-game parlay (-2.00 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise.