Two Eastern Conference hopefuls meet on Thursday when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Detroit Pistons in an early-season NBA matchup. The Hawks, who placed fifth in the Southeast Division and 12th in the conference with a 29-53 record a season ago, were 12-29 on the road, while the Pistons (1-0) were 26-15 at home. Thursday's game at Little Caesars Arena is slated to begin at 7 p.m. ET. The Hawks were 16-36 against Eastern Conference foes last season, while Detroit was 27-25 against the East. Detroit is a 1.5-point favorite in the latest Pistons vs. Hawks odds, up a half-point from the opener, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 222. You'll want to see what the SportsLine Projection Model is saying about the game before making any Hawks vs. Pistons picks.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and anyone who followed it last season saw massive returns. The model finished 300-252 on all its top-rated NBA picks. On top-rated against-the-spread and money line picks alone, the model returned a whopping $4,280.
Now, the model has dialed in on Pistons vs. Hawks. We can tell you it's leaning over, but it's also generated an against the spread pick that hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. That one is available exclusively at SportsLine.
The model knows the Pistons have success against the Hawks over the past few years, winning two of three games against them last season and seven of the last 10 overall. The Pistons have also won three of their last four home games against Atlanta. Stretching back to last season, the Pistons have won three straight regular-season games.
Detroit's bench came up big in Wednesday's win over Indiana, scoring 57 points. Shooting guard Luke Kennard had the hot hand, hitting 8-of-13 field goals, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, while point guard Derrick Rose scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
But just because Detroit opened the season on a high note does not guarantee it will cover the Pistons vs. Hawks spread on Thursday.
That's because Atlanta has experienced success through the years, making 46 postseason appearances in 70 seasons, winning one championship (1957-1958), four conference titles and five division crowns, the last coming in 2014-15. The Hawks won last year's only meeting in Detroit, 98-95.
Center/power forward John Collins will look to build on a strong season from a year ago when he averaged 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds. In one game against the Pistons in 2018-19, Collins scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds. Also making a difference for the Hawks is point guard Trae Young (back), who is expected to play Thursday. Young averaged 19.1 points and 8.1 assists last year. In three games against Detroit, he averaged 19.3 points and seven assists.
So who wins Hawks vs. Pistons? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Hawks vs. Pistons spread to jump on Thursday, all from the advanced model that is up more than $4,200 on its top-rated NBA picks last season, and find out.
