Pelicans vs Pistons Odds, Lines & Predictions (Jan. 13)

• The Pelicans visit the Pistons on Friday evening
• New Orleans is a 4.5-point favorite over Detroit
• See the Pelicans vs Pistons prediction and odds, below

The Zion Williamson-less New Orleans Pelicans (25-17, 8-12 away) will be looking to get back on track Friday as they head to Motown for a 7 PM ET matchup with the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. This is the second meeting of the campaign between the two. In fact, NOLA has won four in a row against Detroit. Keep reading for the Pelicans vs Pistons prediction.

The Pels have dropped three of their last four and lost on Wednesday to the league’s best team, the Boston Celtics. The Pistons meanwhile pulled off the upset that same night, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves by 17 points.

Pelicans vs Pistons Odds

Odds as of January 12th at FanDuel Sportsbook.

New Orleans heads into this contest as a 4.5-point favorite. They’ve covered in 50% of their games in 2022-23. The Pistons come back at +168 odds, going 20-22-3 against the spread.

Pelicans Betting Trends

The Pels have been one of the biggest surprises in the Association, currently sitting in third place in the Western Conference with a 25-17 record. However, they’ve felt the absence of Williamson, who is currently nursing yet another injury. Since he went on the shelf, NOLA is just 2-3. To make matters worse, Brandon Ingram remains out as well.

Wednesday was a good test for Willie Green’s squad, coming up against the Celtics. While they weren’t at full strength, there were some impressive performances. CJ McCollum continued to find himself, scoring 38 points to lead the way. Naji Marshall also had 18.

CJ averaged 30.8 points and shot 51% from 3 over the past 5 games. Sounds like an All-Star to us 🤷‍♂️.

Retweet & vote to see CJ rep the #Pelicans in the #NBAAllStar game: https://t.co/sf63UmzpYP pic.twitter.com/8cLYxeIlaj

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 12, 2023

Like most teams this season though, the Pelicans couldn’t stop Boston’s star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The two combined for a whopping 72 points, with Brown going off for 41 on his own. New Orleans is struggling to produce on the road, posting an 8-12 record. At home? The Pels are 17-5. Big difference.

Pistons Betting Trends

If you’re a Pistons fan, it’s hard to stay positive nowadays. Cade Cunningham is out for the season and Detroit has one of the worst records in the league. That being said, Wednesday’s victory over Minny proved something, giving the supporters something to cheer for.

Sure, the Wolves were shorthanded, but Dwane Casey’s team still took advantage of a group that is expected to be in the playoffs in the next few months. Bojan Bogdanovic once again balled out, scoring 27 points in just 32 minutes of action. Ever since he arrived, the veteran has given the Pistons a serious scoring boost.

Saddiq Bey also went off for 31 points on 10 for 16 shooting from the field. In fact, six different players finished in double-figures. It was a very well-balanced attack. Detroit could barely miss a shot too, draining 60% of their field goals and 53% of their triples. It’s hard to beat any team when they’re shooting the rock at such an efficient clip. This win should definitely give them some confidence for Friday against a club the Pistons can’t seem to beat lately.

Pelicans vs Pistons Prediction

New Orleans has covered in all four of their consecutive wins against Detroit. They will do so again.

Pick: Pelicans -4.5 (-110)