After a road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, the Golden State Warriors visit the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, with the Warriors entering as the NBA's best team. Detroit (4-10) has won three of the last five games after a slow start to the 2021-22 campaign. Kelly Olynyk (knee) is out for the Pistons. Golden State has ruled out Stephen Curry (hip), Draymond Green (thigh), Otto Porter (foot) and Andre Iguodala.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET in Detroit. Caesars Sportsbook lists Golden State as a two-point road favorite, down 7.5 points from the opening line due to the Golden State injury updates. The over-under for total points has dropped from 210 to 200. Before making any Pistons vs. Warriors picks or NBA predictions, be sure to check out what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $9,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 5 of the 2021-22 NBA season up over $900 on all top-rated NBA picks this season. It's also on a stunning 113-75 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread that dates back to last season. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has locked in on Warriors vs. Pistons and just released its coveted NBA picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Pistons vs. Warriors:
- Warriors vs. Pistons spread: Warriors -2
- Warriors vs. Pistons over-under: 200 points
- Warriors vs. Pistons money line: Warriors -130, Pistons +110
- GS: The Warriors are 7-9 against the spread in the last 16 games on the second night of a back-to-back
- DET: The Pistons are 6-8 against the spread this season
Why the Warriors can cover
The key absences will present some challenges, but Golden State is operating at a high level overall, with top-three marks in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The Warriors are dominant as a result, but this is also a friendly matchup against a Pistons team with struggling metrics. Detroit is the worst shooting team in the NBA so far this season, making 40.8 percent of field-goal attempts and 29.5 percent of 3-point efforts.
The Pistons are scoring less than a point per possession and, in addition to the porous shooting, Detroit is committing a turnover on 16 percent of offensive possessions. On defense, the Pistons are allowing opponents to shoot 48.1 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from 3-point distance. Golden State currently leads the NBA in overall shooting efficiency, and the numbers point to several advantages for the Warriors, even with a number of key pieces out.
Why the Pistons can cover
After a ghastly start, the Pistons are 3-2 in their last five games. Detroit is finding its footing as No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham settles in. He is averaging 20.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in the last two games. The Pistons are excellent at generating free-throw attempts, ranking No. 3 in the league with 21.3 attempts per game. Detroit is also solidly above-average in assist rate (60.0 percent) and offensive rebound rate (27.8 percent).
On defense, Detroit has been effective in generating havoc and that should continue with Curry and other key Warriors out. Detroit is forcing a turnover on 17.1 percent of defensive possessions and, if there is a weakness for Golden State on either end, it comes with its bottom-10 ranking in the NBA in ball security.
How to make Warriors vs. Pistons picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 196 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the model's Warriors vs. Pistons pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Warriors vs. Pistons? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Warriors vs. Pistons spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
