Alex Hunter breaks down his preview, prediction and pick for Thursday\u2019s NBA matchup between the Pistons and Timberwolves. <\/p>\n
The Pistons are hosting the Timberwolves on Thursday. Detroit is favored by 3.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>, and the game carries a total of 224.5 points.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s dive into my preview and pick for this matchup. <\/p>\n Pistons vs. Timberwolves preview<\/p>\n The Pistons and Timberwolves recently met on Saturday in Minnesota, where Detroit cruised to a 109\u201387 victory. The Pistons were missing Cade Cunningham (lung), while Anthony Edwards (knee) was sidelined for the Timberwolves. Cunningham remains out on Thursday, while Edwards is questionable. The superstar guard returned from a six-game absence Monday night and scored 29 points in just 22 minutes in a 124\u201394 win over the Mavericks. One would think he remains in the lineup, but his status is uncertain ahead of Minnesota\u2019s back-to-back, which includes a Friday night stop in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Considering the Pistons are a tougher opponent than the 76ers, it feels likely that Edwards suits up Thursday night. Following a strong return, the Timberwolves will need his offense to crack Detroit\u2019s elite defense. With Edwards sidelined Saturday, Minnesota scored just 87 points \u2014 the team\u2019s second-lowest output of the season. It is a give-and-take situation with Edwards, though. While the Wolves\u2019 offense is much better with him on the floor, their defense suffers, producing a virtually identical net rating with or without him. <\/p>\n The Timberwolves are 46\u201329 and rank 10th in net rating this season. The squad owns the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, and while they\u2019ll likely avoid the play-in tournament, they still have plenty to play for. Minnesota is only a half-game back of the Rockets for the fifth seed and two games behind the Nuggets for the fourth seed. <\/p>\n The Pistons sit atop the Eastern Conference at 55\u201321 and rank third in net rating this season. Detroit holds a four-game lead over the Celtics for the No. 1 seed and only needs two more wins to clinch that top spot.<\/p>\n Cunningham was having an MVP-caliber season until suffering a collapsed lung last month. Still, the Pistons have remained formidable without their top star, posting an 11\u20134 record \u2014 including Saturday\u2019s blowout of the Wolves \u2014 while he\u2019s sidelined. The only teams to beat Detroit since Cunningham went down are the Thunder and Hawks, both of whom rank top-five in net rating since the All-Star break. Both games went to overtime.<\/p>\n Daniss Jenkins has been a terrific replacement for Cunningham at point guard, while Jalen Duren has continued dominating down low. Detroit\u2019s net rating is 6.1 points per 100 possessions worse without Cunningham, but its 4.8 net rating is still strong. Even without the All-Star guard, the Pistons continue to show that they\u2019re still among the league\u2019s elite. <\/p>\n Pistons vs. Timberwolves pick, best Bet<\/p>\n Even without Cunningham, it\u2019s hard to doubt the Pistons on their home floor. Detroit is 29\u20139 at Little Caesars Arena this season, while Minnesota is 21\u201315 on the road \u2014 and just 4\u20138 as a road underdog. <\/p>\n The Pistons are a strong candidate to cover Thursday\u2019s modest 3.5-point spread<\/a>. Since Cunningham hit the sidelines last month, Detroit is 7\u20131 against the spread.<\/p>\n