Golden State Warriors vs. Detroit Pistons Preview, Prediction, and Picks

The Golden State Warriors make the cross-country trip to Little Caesars Arena for a road matchup with the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. The Western Conference-leading Warriors (13-2) are off to a screeching hot start this year, winning 13 of their first 15 games in impressive fashion. The Pistons (4-10) are trying to locate some consistency with their young stars in the midst of a long rebuild. Golden State opens this game as heavy road favorites. 

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Golden State Warriors vs. Detroit Pistons Betting Lines

At Basketball Insiders, we get all of our game lines and information from the best betting sites. All of the game lines that are featured below are taken from BetUS.

Point Spread: Golden State Warriors -7
Money Line: GS -300/ DET +250
Total: Over/Under 210.5

Golden State Warriors vs. Detroit Pistons Injury Report

The Warriors are hoping James Wiseman progresses to 3 on 3 work this week, but he remains without a timetable coming back from a knee injury. Klay Thompson (Achilles) is expected to be out until at least Christmas. 

Detroit was optimistic to see rookie Isiah Livers on the floor earlier this week, but he remains sidelined with a foot injury. He’s a game-time decision for this home tilt as is SF Chris Smith (knee). 

Golden State Warriors vs. Detroit Pistons Preview

Warriors and Curry Off to Fiery Start

Stephen Curry is making his case for early-season MVP with his otherworldly start to the year. The 33-year-old is averaging 27.4 points and 6.5 dimes. He’s had to carry most of the offensive load with Klay Thompson and James Wiseman on the sideline, but Andrew Wiggins has provided some punch. 

Another night.
Another show.@UAbasketball || Second Look pic.twitter.com/yGufIVjH0j

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 19, 2021

The former Timberwolves stand-out has chipped in 17.4 points and 4.3 boards. Wiggins has stepped up his defensive intensity since joining the Warriors, which was always a negative in his time with Minnesota. As a team, the Warriors lead the NBA in points per game, assists, and steals. They are assisting on a whopping 70.7% of their buckets, tops in the league. 

In addition to their offensive prowess, Golden State has been playing defense on an elite level through the first 15 games of the year. Opposing teams are shooting a miserable 42% from the floor, with Draymond Green limiting anything easy under the rim. They lead the association in defensive rating and are pleased with Jordan Poole’s development on the defensive end from last year. They will certainly be a contender in the West, as long as Chef Curry stays healthy.

Pistons Pleased With Cade Cunningham’s Progression

The Pistons were pleased to have the top overall pick in last year’s draft, but their prized selection was having a hard time adjusting to the rapid NBA pace. That all changed on Monday night for the kiddo from Oklahoma. Cade Cunningham hit 10-of-20 shots and five 3-pointers for a career-high 25 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in a 129-107 loss to the Sacramento Kings. He followed that up with another strong showing against the Pacers. 

In last night's win against the Pacers, 5 #Pistons scored in double-digits. @JeramiGrant led the team in scoring for the seventh time this season (19 PTS). @Cory_Joe added a season-high 18 points and 5 rebounds to help secure the win at home. pic.twitter.com/e6udczyrJG

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 18, 2021

The 3-pointers and assists were also career highs for Cunningham and his strong play helped contribute to a previously hot Killian Hayes failing to score. This was Cunningham’s breakout game and it should catapult him into more of the same as the season progresses. He had a tough showing on Wednesday against a gritty Indiana Pacers club, but the potential is hard to ignore. He’s only averaging 13.4 points and 3.6 dimes, but those numbers will gradually trend up as he picks up the tempo. The future is bright in Motown. 

Golden State Warriors vs. Detroit Pistons Prediction 

Golden State has been playing defense on an elite level through the first 15 games of the year. Opposing teams are shooting a miserable 42% from the floor, with Draymond Green limiting anything easy under the rim. They lead the NBA in defensive rating and have shown flashes of their elite defensive capabilities when they went on two epic championship runs. 

The Pistons rank last in the NBA averaging a meager 98.3 points per game. Not surprisingly, they are also bottom three from beyond the arc and sit at the bottom of the NBA shooting the rock at a 40.6% clip. Cade Cunningham will try to duplicate his performance earlier in the week against the Kings, but it won’t be easy facing the league’s best defense and a scorching hot Stephen Curry. Trust the Warriors to win and cover on the road. 

Golden State Warriors vs. Detroit Pistons Totals Pick

Curry and the high-flying Warriors are fifth in pace through the first 15 games of the season. Andrew Wiggins has complimented Curry nicely in the backcourt, finally showing the potential he failed to realize in his days with the Timberwolves. The aforementioned Pistons offensive unit is only averaging 98.3 points per game, and an elite Warriors D will be chomping at the bit. Expect most of the points in this one to come from the Warriors exposing Detroit’s inability to guard the perimeter. For that reason, take this game to go way under the projected number for some juicier odds.