Pistons game tonight: Pistons vs Magic odds, injury report, predictions, TV channel for Oct. 19

The long offseason is finally over and the Detroit Pistons will play regular season basketball tonight against the Orlando Magic.

This is an opening night matchup with a lot of compelling subplots, as you have the last two number one picks facing off in Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero. You also have an interesting battle between small forwards Saddiq Bey and Franz Wagner.

But the bigger narrative is that these are two of the rebuilding teams in the Eastern Conference that hope to make leap this season, and tonight will be the first test to see which bad team gets good first.

Both teams have good young cores built around top picks and tonight we’ll get a first look at where both teams are in their respective rebuilds.

The Detroit Pistons enter the season with a lot of question marks hanging over them after a concerning preseason, but will they be able to flip the switch tonight at home?

Here is everything you need to know.

Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic: Odds, Spread, Over/Under

According to Fanduel, the Pistons are two point favorites at home tonight against the Magic. The home team is usually given two points, so the books are pretty much calling this one even. It may be the last time you see Detroit favored for awhile, as their first 10 games are fairly brutal.

The money lines are set at -154 for Detroit and +130 for Orlando and the over/under is 217 combined points.

Though both these teams will struggle to defend, I’d be tempted by the under after seeing Detroit’s offense in the preseason.

Pistons injury report

Marvin Bagley III, Alec Burks and Isaiah Livers have all been ruled out for the home opener against the Magic. It is disappointing not to see Livers in there, as Detroit needs his shooting and defense and there was really no indication in the preseason that his injury was serious enough to keep him out.

One surprise is that Nerlens Noel is not listed, as he barely even practiced during the preseason, so it will be interesting to see if he gets any run tonight or we get a heavy dose of Jalen Duren off the bench.

The Magic will be missing Markelle Fultz, Moritz Wagner, Jonathan Isaac (does this guy ever play?) and Gary Harris, but guard Jalen Suggs will be in the lineup.

Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic: Prediction

It’s hard to say what to expect out of these two teams, as the Pistons were flat-out terrible in preseason while the Magic looked frisky, winning all but one of their games. The Pistons should have an advantage in the backcourt and the Magic will likely have one down low. However, Cade Cunningham was pretty much shut down by the Magic last season, so will he be able to get going after a slow preseason start?

Detroit won 3-of-4 against Orlando last year and I think they”ll get an opening night win at home tonight, but it is going to be a tight one.

Detroit 108, Orlando 106

How to watch Pistons vs. Magic

The opening night game against the Magic tips off in Little Caesar’s Arena at 7:00 PM ET and you can watch on Bally Sports Detroit or listen on 97.1 FM the Ticket.

How to stream Pistons vs. Magic

You can stream the game on NBA League Pass if you are out of market, or can try out a free trial at  FUBO.TV, where you can stream all the games this season.

*Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.