Pistons’ odds vs. Mavericks: Will Cade Cunningham return?

The Detroit Pistons will take on the Dallas Mavericks on the road tonight and the big question is whether Cade Cunningham will play.

Cunningham has missed three games in a row with a hip pointer, which is a shame, as he was just coming off winning Rookie of the Month in the Eastern Conference and taking the top spot on the Rookie Ladder.

The Rookie of the Year debate had shifted towards Cunningham but if he has to miss too many more games, Evan Mobley will take back that top spot.

The Pistons are in the middle of a free fall, losing four in a row and eight of their last nine to drop to just one game ahead of the Orlando Magic for the worst record in the NBA.

The Mavericks are in the thick of the playoff battle in the Western Conference and have won two in a row to hold their 5th spot.

The Pistons have only won four games away from Little Caesar’s Arena this season and the Mavericks are good at home, so this is going to be an uphill battle for Detroit, especially if Cade Cunningham is out.

He is currently listed as questionable for tonight but the odds indicate that he won’t be playing.

Detroit Pistons @ Dallas Mavericks: Odds, spread, over/under and best bets if Cade Cunningham is out

According to WynnBET, the Pistons are 11 point underdogs against the Mavericks. Detroit was able to hold close for most of the last game, but the Timberwolves pulled away late in the 4th quarter to cover the spread.

The double-digit spread is a pretty good indication that the books think Cade Cunningham is going to be out for this one, as it would probably be more like 8-9 points if he were playing.

The money lines are set at +475 for the Pistons and -650 for the Mavs, so the books clearly aren’t giving Detroit much chance to win this one.

The over/under is 215, which seems a bit high considering these are two of the lowest scoring teams in the league, averaging just over 208 points combined.

Dallas is also one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, so I like the under in this one, as this could be one of those nights where the Pistons fail to crack 100 points on the road without their best player.

I’d probably avoid betting the Pistons, but if you do, take the points and the under and hope for a close, low-scoring game.

Without Cunningham, the Pistons don’t have a top-end option in daily fantasy, as Jerami Grant is still trying to get back into a groove.

Your best bet is Saddiq Bey, who has quietly been putting up big numbers, scoring more than 20 points in each of the last three games.

For low-cost plays, Frank Jackson and Trey Lyles are worth a flyer, though the latter has seen his minutes cut with the return of Kelly Olynyk. Frank is pretty much an all-or-nothing guy who either comes off the bench red hot and scores in bunches, or doesn’t, with not much in between.

With both Porzingis and Kleber out for he Mavs, this might be a game to bet on one of the Pistons’ bigs and Isaiah Stewart has put up double-digit rebounding numbers five games in a row.

How to watch Pistons @ Mavericks

The game vs. Dallas has a late tip off of 8:30 PM ET and you can watch on Bally Sports Detroit or listen on 97.1 FM the Ticket.