The Detroit Pistons get set to tangle against the New Orleans Pelicans Thursday night inside the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. They tip it off at 8:00 p.m. This is an interesting contest between two young teams hoping to be more than just competitive this season. 

MyBookie has installed the Pelicans as an eight-point favorite. 

The Pistons have not had much to smile about over the last several seasons. They have not had a winning record since 2018 when they ended the season with a 41-41 record. They won around 20 or so games the following three seasons and managed to win just 17 last year (17-65), which was one of their worst seasons in franchise history.

The good news is that they have improved on their defense as they were allowing 118 points last season and this season thus far are only giving up 107. That is a very good improvement through the first couple weeks of the season and something they can build on as the season progresses. 

On offense, their playmaker is point guard Cade Cunningham who is averaging around 20 points a game to go along with seven assists and almost three rebounds per contest. The talented 22-year-old has proven he can be a serious and legit scoring threat. He also plays both ends of the floor. 

The Pelicans have quietly gotten better by a handful of games over the last five or so seasons. They won 31 games in 2020, 36 games in 2021, and finished 2022 with a solid mark of 42-40 and they just missed out on the playoffs. Their pre-season title odds sit at +4000., They are led on offense by power forward Zion Williamson who has pumped in 22 a game. The key to the success of the Pelicans this season will be the health of the young man.

If he can stay healthy and not miss chunks of time they could be a solid sleeper pick to make the playoffs. He is still raw but has some skill and he also has gotten better on the defensive side of the court. For his size, he is an athletic player and just needs to be available. 

He also has a nice running mate in veteran Brandon Ingram who has shown in his career he can score wherever he goes. He is dealing with a knee injury and his status for Thursday night is still up in the air. He was ruled out of Wednesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Once Williamson gets going, the offense should be set. Look for him to post a double-double in this one. 

The Pelicans are 2-1 in their last five games and 2-1 in their last five games against the number and they are also 1-0 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in one of their last three games and the totals have gone over in one of their last two games at home. The Pistons are 2-2 in their last five games and 3-1 in their last five games against the number. The totals have gone over in two of their last four games.  

Williamson will lead the Pelicans in this one.