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Detroit Pistons odds

On this page, we’ll highlight the latest single-game and season-long Detroit Pistons odds, as well as other pertinent betting information.

Dan Bradley By: Dan Bradley
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The Detroit Pistons have been banished to the bottom of the NBA standings in recent years, with the 2024 season more likely to yield a first overall pick than to see the team reach the 20-win mark (though with the league’s Draft Lottery in place, it’s still possible neither outcome occurs). This season, the Pistons already tied the record for the longest losing streak in NBA history at 28 games.

However, there are a few talented players in the organization who the team will build around over the next few seasons. Cade Cunningham, the first overall pick in the 2021 Draft, is trending towards career highs in points per game, assists per game, and field goal percentage, and 2022 first round pick Jalen Duren is averaging a double-double while leading the team in rebounds per game.

In this piece, we’ll take a look at the Detroit Pistons betting odds for single-game and season-long markets. We’ll also walk you through how to bet on the team, ways you can watch the games, and a timeline of key moments in franchise history.

How to wager on the Detroit Pistons on an online sportsbook in Michigan

You can wager on the Detroit Pistons on an online sportsbook in Michigan by using a website on your computer or through a mobile betting app. Try both out to see which you prefer! Here’s how you can get set up with a sports betting account through a desktop site.

  1. Learn more about Michigan sportsbooks: Michigan’s betting landscape has produced many sports gambling sites, and it can be overwhelming to try to determine which operator(s) are right for you. To make things easier, we’ve written reviews of each of MI’s legal, licensed sportsbooks, complete with welcome bonus information and an overall score based on important performance indicators.
  2. Decide where to play and complete the registration: Using the link in the sportsbook reviews, you can navigate directly to the signup forms on the betting sites where you’d like to play. This will allow you to reference the reviews during the registration process as needed.
  3. Make a deposit using your preferred banking method: Sportsbooks will have a different list of each approved payment option, but in general, you’ll be able to use a debit card or PayPal, or link to your bank directly if you’re using a major financial institution.
  4. Study the team and their opponents: Before making your wagers, you should always prepare yourself by doing appropriate research to place well-informed bets. This research should include (but not be limited to) previous head-to-head matchups and results, player trends, team and player strengths and weaknesses, injury reports, schedule details, and position in the standings.
  5. Shop the odds to get a better deal: Throughout your betting experience, you’ll notice sportsbooks have differences in the lines they set, and you can use these variations to your advantage. While the differences usually represent a small amount in the value of your payout, mastering line shopping can lead to bigger wins in the long run.

How can you watch or stream the Detroit Pistons in MI?

You can watch the Detroit Pistons in MI by tuning into Bally Sports Detroit. From time to time, the Pistons will also have games that air on ESPN, ABC, and TNT.

You can also stream games through the Bally Sports app, though this can be a bit tricky as the app isn’t as reliable and games could be subject to a local blackout.

Do the Detroit Pistons have any partnerships with sportsbooks?

Yes, the Detroit Pistons have sportsbook partnerships with both FanDuel MIand DraftKings MI. The team announced the partnership deals in November 2020, a few months ahead of Michigan’s online sports betting launch. FanDuel and DraftKings account for nearly 60% of the state’s lifetime sports betting handle.

Which bet types are available for wagering on the Detroit Pistons?

There are many types of bets available for wagering on the Detroit Pistons, and you’ll be able to find these fan favorites at all Michigan sportsbooks.

  • Moneyline and point spread: The Pistons likely won’t be favorites on the moneyline very often throughout the rest of the season, as moneyline wagers are on which team will win the game straight-up. However, playing the point spread can be a more favorable way to play, as the spread handicaps the scoreline by spotting the underdog a few points. For example, a bookmaker may set a line of Detroit Pistons +5.5. In that case, a spread bet on Detroit would hit if the Pistons either won outright or lost by fewer than six points.
  • Over/under: Betting on the over/under, also known as “totals” wagering, focuses on the combined point totals of the Pistons and their opponent rather than on which team wins the game. Sportsbooks will set a projected combined total leaving fans to decide whether the total number of points will be over or under the total projection.
  • Prop bets: Individual- and team-focused player props account for the bulk of betting markets when browsing the odds at a sportsbook, and because they typically aren’t tied to the final score, they can be a great way to push for a betting profit even if the team isn’t performing well. Some examples of Detroit Pistons props would be how many three-point field goals Bojan Bogdanović makes, Jaden Ivey’s combined Points+Assists+Rebounds (PAR) total, or whether the Pistons will hold a lead at the end of the first quarter.

Where do the Detroit Pistons play?

The Detroit Pistons play home games at Little Caesars Arena, a venue they share with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. Little Caesars Arena opened in 2017 to replace the Pistons’ previous venue, The Palace of Auburn Hills, as well as Joe Louis Arena.

Upon moving the Pistons into Little Caesars Arena, Detroit became the only U.S. city to have four major league sports teams playing in its downtown district. The Detroit Tigers play at Comerica Park and the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, both of which are within walking distance of Little Caesars Arena.

History of the Detroit Pistons

From the “Bad Boy” era of the late 1980s and early 1990s to the championship run in the mid-2000s, the history of the Detroit Pistons is storied and ever-evolving. Here are some of the key moments to know in the team timeline.

  • 1937: Fred Zollner, owner of the Zollner Corporation, founded the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons as a semi-professional basketball team. The team turned pro in 1941 and joined the National Basketball League (NBL).
  • 1944: The Zollner Pistons win the first of back-to-back NBL titles.
  • 1948: Zollner moves the Fort Wayne Pistons from the NBL to the Basketball Association of America (BAA).
  • 1949: Zollner helps broker a merger between the NBL and BAA to form the National Basketball Association (NBA).
  • 1955: While no players or coaches were ever implicated for any wrongdoing, the Pistons are accused of throwing the NBA Finals against the Syracuse Nationals, along with accusations of shaving points in games for each of the two prior seasons. While Detroit would return to the Finals to play the Philadelphia Warriors in 1956, they would also lose that series in five games.
  • 1957: Citing Fort Wayne’s population as a cause for unsustainability, Zollner moves the team to Detroit, keeping the Pistons name as a nod to the city’s automotive industry. During the season, small forward George Yardley became the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in a season.
  • 1964: At just 24 years of age, Dave Debusschere is named player-coach of the Pistons. Debusschuere was drafted by Detroit in 1962 while he was a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. However, his coaching stint was unsuccessful and he was later returned to player-only status.
  • 1974: Zollner sells the team to Bill Davidson, who had worked in the architectural and automotive glass industry. Davidson would remain the Pistons owner until his death in 2009.
  • 1981: The Pistons select point guard Isiah Thomas with the second overall pick in the Draft. Thomas is still the team’s career leader in points (18,822), assists (9,061), steals (1,861), and minutes played (35,516).
  • 1982: In a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit acquired center Bill Laimbeer, who would be a key piece of the Pistons’ success for the next decade. Laimbeer holds the Pistons’ all-time record for career rebounds (9,430).
  • 1987: Detroit begins the “Bad Boy” era with the drafting of John Salley and Dennis Rodman, as well as a trade for Adrian Dantley from the Utah Jazz. The nickname came from the team’s aggressive play at both ends of the floor, as well as a physical style that toed the line of dirty play.
  • 1988: The Pistons advance to the NBA Finals for the first time, falling short in Game 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Detroit led the series three games to two, but the home court advantage would be a factor in the Lakers’ victory.
  • 1989: Detroit returned to the NBA Finals for a rematch with the Lakers, and this time, the Pistons came out on top as league champions with a four-game sweep. Joe Dumars was named Finals MVP, averaging 27.3 points and 6.0 assists per game.
  • 1990: The Pistons go back-to-back as NBA champs, beating the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. Isiah Thomas is named Finals MVP after leading the team in points (27.6), assists (7.0), steals (1.6) and three-point percentage (.688). Dennis Rodman is also honored as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
  • 2003: Detroit begins a run of six consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals with a core of Chauncey Billups, Richard “Rip” Hamilton, Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace (no relation).
  • June 2004: The Pistons return to the NBA Finals for yet another showdown against the Lakers. Detroit would again take the series, this time in five games, with Billups (21 PPG, 5.2 APG) winning Finals MVP honors.
  • November 2004: In a game against the Indiana Pacers, a hard foul on Ben Wallace led to an altercation between the teams. Punches were thrown and players were eventually separated, but things re-escalated when a fan threw a drink on Ron Artest, the Pistons player who had fouled Wallace to begin the melee. Artest went into the stands and grabbed another fan who he thought had thrown the drink, leading to a large brawl involving multiple players and fans. As a result, Artest was suspended for the rest of the season (86 games including regular season and playoffs, the longest for an on-court incident in NBA history), along with Pacers teammates Stephen Jackson (30 games), Jermaine O’Neal (25 games reduced to 15 on appeal), Anthony Johnson (five games), and Reggie Miller (one game); Ben Wallace (six games), Billups, Derrick Coleman, and Elden Campbell (one game each) were all suspended for Detroit. The incident came to be known as the “Malice at the Palace.”
  • 2005: Making consecutive trips to the Finals keeps the Pistons on top of the Eastern Conference, but Detroit met its match in the San Antonio Spurs, who won each of their four home games in the seven-game series. Ben Wallace won Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in four seasons and would win again in 2006.
  • 2011: Bill Davidson’s widow, Karen Davidson, sells the team to Tom Gores for $325 million, an amount considerably lower than what was expected given the team’s recent successes.
  • 2017: The Pistons move into their new home venue, Little Caesars Arena.
  • 2021: Detroit selects Cade Cunningham first overall in the Draft, kicking off a stretch of three consecutive years of Top-Five selections.

How do I get tickets to see the Detroit Pistons play live?

You can get tickets to see the Detroit Pistons play live by purchasing them online through sites like Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, and StubHub. Admission into Little Caesars Arena is digital only, so you’ll need to be able to show your tickets on a cell phone or other mobile device.

Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are available now and on sale through April 11, 2024. For more information, visit https://content.pistons.com/membership/.

Can you legally bet on the Detroit Pistons in Michigan?

Yes, you can legally bet on the Detroit Pistons in Michigan. Retail sports betting launched in MI in March 2020 with online counterparts following in January 2021. The online launch was expedited to offset gambling revenue losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To learn more about what sportsbooks are available for NBA betting in Michigan, click the link at the top of this page.


FAQ

How do weather and indoor conditions influence Detroit Pistons games?

The weather seldom influences Detroit Pistons games unless the team is delayed in travel. Additionally, if severe winter weather creates a safety concern for fans and the teams, Pistons games could experience a delayed start or a postponement and reschedule.

What key statistics are crucial for betting on the Detroit Pistons?

You should consider many different statistics when betting on the Detroit Pistons, especially if you are placing prop bets on individual players. The most crucial metrics to use for the Pistons and their opponents are possessions per game, turnover percentage, effective field goal percentage, offensive and defensive rebounds per game, and personal fouls per game.

How can understanding the Detroit Pistons' coaching strategies aid in making better bets?

Understanding the Detroit Pistons’ coaching strategies can aid you in making better bets by determining the type and frequency of opportunities players will get throughout the game and which matchups can be exploited. While different systems and plays are used throughout the game, understanding player strengths and weaknesses will also help you determine whether the betting odds are favorable and worth your risk and financial stake.

What are the advantages of live betting during Detroit Pistons games?

One of the biggest advantages of live betting during Detroit Pistons games is using your knowledge of in-game events to take advantage of a favorable betting line. Because the odds are constantly updating based on the gameflow, you may be able to get friendlier lines than were available before tipoff, leading to a higher profit when your bet hits. As a rule, you should only plan to live bet on games that you are actively watching.

How does playing at home vs. away impact the Detroit Pistons' betting odds?

As a rule of thumb, home teams in the NBA are typically spotted a few points on the spread when playing at home; for the Detroit Pistons, this typically means they could see a three- or four-point adjustment on the spread if they are favorites or a reduction in the spread if they are underdogs while playing at Little Caesars Arena.

Author Details

Dan Bradley

Dan Bradley

Dan Bradley, a researcher and betting specialist at MI Betting, has over a decade of experience as a hockey commentator for junior teams across Illinois, Minnesota, and Ohio. When he's not engaged in writing or co-hosting his NHL-themed podcast, 'Pod Snipe Celly', he's likely to be found at the hockey rink.