Hornets vs. Pistons prediction and odds for Thursday, March 9 (Value on the total)

The two worst teams in the Eastern Conference face off for the fourth and final time this season, with the Detroit Pistons hosting the Charlotte Hornets.

The Pistons won the first two matchup this season, but the Hornets took the most recent one on Feb. 27, winning by 11.

Charlotte is favored on the road in this game, and the team is coming off an impressive win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

The Pistons have just about everyone out of the lineup in this game including Hamidou Diallo, Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart, Cade Cunningham and Alec Burks. Jalen Duren and Killian Hayes are listed as probable.

For Charlotte, LaMelo Ball (ankle, done for season) remains out.

Here’s a look at the latest odds and a best bet for this game:

Hornets vs. Pistons odds, spread and total

Hornets vs. Pistons prediction and pick

I have very little interest in laying the points with the Hornets as road favorites, but the Pistons have gone UNDER .500 as home underdogs this season.

So, we’re instead turning our focus to the total for a best bet in this game.

These two teams struggle mightily on offense, with the Hornets ranking 30th in the NBA in offensive rating and the Pistons clocking in at No. 27.

With Ball out for Charlotte and several rotation players out for the Pistons, points are going to be even harder to come by on Thursday.

Over Detroit’s last seven games, five of them have fallen short of this total. For Charlotte, its last six games have gone under 225.5 points.

This is going to be an ugly game between two non-playoff teams, so I’ll take the value at 225.5 and go under.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.