Thunder vs. Pistons Prediction and Odds: Finding Betting Value on Worst Teams in NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder, losers of eight in a row, hit the road on Monday to take on the Detroit Pistons. To say that OKC (6-16) is having a tough season would be an understatement. Things are going so badly that they are already on the wrong side of a major NBA record. The Memphis Grizzlies beat them 152-79, setting a new NBA record for margin of victory at 73 points. 

It would be hard to imagine things being much worse unless you are the 4-18 Detroit Pistons. They are, from a win/loss standpoint, the worst team in the NBA and the only team with a winning percentage under .200. Detroit is on an identical eight-game winning streak tonight. 

While it would be fun to see how many losses these two could rack up separately, the basketball gods chose to bless one of these teams with a win tonight. 

Here are the odds for this showdown between two of the worst teams in the league, courtesy of WynnBET: 

Thunder vs. Pistons Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

• Thunder: +2.5 (-110)
• Pistons: -2.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Thunder: +130
• Pistons: -150

Total: 

• 204.0 (Over -110/Under -110)

Thunder vs. Pistons Prediction and Pick

Picking a winner in this game is like picking your outfit for the day from the lost and found at a burn ward. All the options are in rough shape and missing key components. The oddsmakers have decided that the Pistons at home have a leg-up on the Thunder who have won just two games on the road. But Detroit has won just two games at home so I won’t put much into home/away splits here. 

The Thunder have what may be the worst offense in the league and average just 98.1 points per game. It’s a shame because they are such a good rebounding team, averaging 46.1 rebounds per game, that if they shot a bit better they might string some wins together. Though, one can argue that the reason they get so many rebounds is that they miss so many shorts. 

The Pistons are just barely better and rank second to last in offense, scoring 98.9 points per game. The difference here is that the Pistons cannot rebound to save their lives. They are 30th in total boards per night at 42.4. With both teams awful shooting numbers, this game is going to be won or lost on the glass. And the Pistons are not a rebounding team. In this battle of bad teams, I’m going with the underdog. 

Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder +130 to Win