The last time the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks met, Reggie Jackson played his last game for awhile and John Collins played four more before being suspended for violating the NBA’s drug policy. The result of the game was a 117-100 Pistons loss.
Since then, neither team has played well. They’re both 4-10 and enter with losing streaks. Detroit has lost five straight and eight of its last 10 following a 2-2 start. The Hawks won their first two games and have lost 10 of their last 12 and are 2-9 without Collins.
Gameday information
Tip-off: 7 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports Detroit
Radio: 97.1 FM The Ticket
Stream: FUBO.TV or Fox Sports Go
Last time out: Pistons lost 109-89 to Chicago on Wednesday. Atlanta lost 135-127 to Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Betting odds
Lines: Pistons -6.5 (opened Pistons -5.5)
Over/under: 225
Moneylines: Hawks +200; Pistons -250
ATS: Hawks 6-8; Pistons 4-9-1
ATS splits: Hawks 2-5 on the road; Pistons 3-3 at home
O/U: Hawks 7-7; Pistons 8-6
O/U splits: Hawks 5-2 on the road; Pistons 3-3 at home
*All lines and betting information provided by The Action Network.
Injury reports
Jackson, Khyri Thomas and Tony Snell, who sat out Wednesday’s game in Chicago with a left hip flexor strain. With the injuries and 15th overall pick Sekou Doumbouya playing well for the G-League’s Grand Rapids Drive, Dwane Casey acknowledged that there have been talks of bringing him up for Friday’s game, according to media reports.
Collins is, of course, out. As is sharpshooting wing Kevin Huerter, who will miss 4-5 weeks with a shoulder injury. Evan Turner (Achilles) and Chandler Parsons (knee) were listed probable on Thursday’s injury report. Tenth overall pick Cam Reddish is questionable with a sprained left wrist.
DFS tips
It’s hard to take much away from the first meeting this season. Detroit has been one of the worst teams in the league defensive, especially against point guards and wings. Trae Young scored 38 points on 21 shots in the first meeting to go with nine assists and seven rebounds. It’ll be a tough act to follow but he’s a solid cash game option.
Andre Drummond should have a strong showing on the glass, especially with Collins out. He was solid defensively with four steals and one block. His upside is somewhat in question for GPPs with Blake Griffin getting plenty of shot attempts.
With Collins out, Jabari Parker has stepped into a starting role and an increased offensive responsibility. He’s getting 11-15 shots and given Detroit’s struggles and a possible high-scoring game, he’s in a solid spot. But rebounds may be tough to come by against Griffin and Drummond. It may not be the best play.
Similarly, Luke Kennard has not played well in Griffin’s return. His price is likely too high to consider him in either format, barring Griffin or Rose sitting out, which doesn’t seem likely.
Langston Galloway is worth some attention at a sub-$5K price. He’s an effective shooter and has taken at least 11 shots over his last five games. Unfortunately scoring is his main source of fantasy points so exceeding value is hard to see.
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Fourth overall pick De’Andre Hunter is coming off his best game in the NBA. He scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds – both career highs – in the loss to the Bucks. He was an efficient 8 of 12. That’ll be hard to follow up but he’s taken nine or more shots in his last five games. His length and defensive upside is worth a look at a sub-$5K price.
Quick hits
-Drummond moved into second on the Pistons’ all-time defensive rebounds list by passing Ben Wallace. Drummond has 4,989 defensive rebounds and sits over 2,000 behind Bill Laimbeer, the Pistons all-time rebounder with 9,430 total and 7,001 defensively. Drummond is third in franchise history in total rebounds with 7,659. Bob Lanier is second with 8,063.
-It’s hard to say how much, if at all, Doumbouya would play on Friday. The 18-year-old is 17.7 points in 24.1 minutes per game through seven games with the Drive, the Pistons’ G-League affiliate. He has shooting splits of .565/.394/.917. The NBA is a different speed and strength, but those are encouraging numbers.
What are you hoping to see in the Pistons game against Atlanta on Friday?