Bill Yin breaks down his prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons.

The 43-37 Hornets will host the 58-22 Pistons tonight at 7 PM EST. The Pistons have listed Kevin Huerter as Probable. The Hornets have made Coby White available.

The Hornets are 5.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 225.5 points.

Hornets vs. Pistons prediction, preview

Detroit has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the East at 58-22, so the standings pressure is gone on its side. That helps explain why the market is treating this a little oddly: DraftKings has the Hornets as a 5.5-point home favorite even though Detroit has been the much better team over the full season. As of the official 11:45 a.m. ET injury report, though, this is not a game where both teams have dumped all their starters onto the inactive list. It seems unlikely that the Pistons will make a big effort to win this game. Cade Cunningham just returned from a collapsed lung and it doesn’t seem prudent for Detroit to push Cunningham too hard with the first seed in the East already locked up. Charlotte, on the other hand, is tied with the 76ers for the eighth seed and desperately needs this win tonight. It’s unlikely they’ll fall to the tenth seed, but it’d be a nice jump, still. It’s possible they overtake the Magic for the seventh seed. On the season, Detroit owns a 117.7 OFFRTG and 109.7 DEFRTG, good for a top-three net rating, and the Pistons are scoring 117.6 PPG, generating 57.8 points in the paint per game, 17.9 fastbreak points, and 55.6 RPG while allowing 109.6 PPG, 43.8 opponent points in the paint, 23.5 opponent APG, and 50.7 opponent RPG. This is a juggernaut Eastern team that’s big, organized, and consistently ahead of the possession. Cade Cunningham returned on Wednesday with 13 points and 10 assists in a 137-111 win over Milwaukee.

Charlotte’s situation is more urgent. The Hornets are 43-37 and ninth in the East, one game behind Orlando and tied with Philadelphia in the loss column, so this game matters. Their season has been real, too, not just a cute little run in March. Charlotte has a 119.6 OFFRTG and 114.4 DEFRTG, which puts it among the league’s best offensive teams and inside the top 10 in net rating, and the supporting stats explain why: 116.3 PPG, 55.8 RPG, a top-four offensive rebound rate, a top-two defensive rebound rate, and the number one mark in opponent offensive boards allowed. Total dominance on the glass means that they gain extra possessions with the ability to consistently space the floor. Charlotte had won four straight before Boston snapped it on Tuesday, and even in that loss LaMelo Ball still had 36 and Brandon Miller had 20.

Hornets vs. Pistons pick, best Bet

Best Bet: Charlotte Hornets Moneyline (-218)

It’s prudent to count on Charlotte to get the W tonight against a Pistons team that doesn’t have anything to play for. The Hornets can still make a run at the Magic’s seventh seed, while the Pistons have the East locked up completely.