Pistons vs. Thunder Picks Monday Night 3/30 

It will be a possible NBA Finals preview when the Oklahoma City Thunder hosts the Detroit Pistons tonight. This matchup probably won’t look like what a finals showdown would have to offer, though, because Detroit is without star PG Cade Cunningham. Nonetheless, the Pistons are atop the Eastern Conference at 54-20. Oklahoma City won the title in 2024-25 and is once again the best team in all of basketball with a 59-16 record. 

With tip-off set for 9:30 pm ET on Peacock, it’s time to break down the odds and discuss the best bets to make.

Pistons vs. Thunder Predictions 

• Pick #1 - Pistons +13 (-114) vs. Thunder (-114) 
• Pick #2 – Pistons vs. Thunder Under 219.5 (-115) 
• Pick #3 - Jaylen Brown Over 1.5 Three-Pointers Made (-136) 

PICK #1: Detroit Pistons +13 over Oklahoma City Thunder (-114) 

There is no denying that the Pistons are not the same without Cunningham, but tales of their demise are greatly exaggerated. In fact, they are 10-3 straight up in their star player’s absence and have actually increased their lead over Boston in the East to four games. These two teams previously faced each other on February 25, when the Pistons prevailed 124-116. That was at home and with Cunningham, so it by no means guarantees that another Detroit victory is in the cards. It is, however, an encouraging result for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad.

Detroit dominated the rebounding battle 52 to 37, which is an aspect of the matchup that could be repeatable. Moreover, Oklahoma City is playing the second leg of a back-to-back situation. Sunday’s game required plenty of physical and emotional energy, too, as the Thunder scraped past the Knicks 111-110. OKC is just 5-7 SU in the second chapters of back-to-backs this season. The Thunder may be able to win tonight, but asking them to cover a humongous spread against a formidable foe seems a bit unreasonable. 

PICK #2: Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics Under 219.5 (-115) 

Oklahoma City and Detroit bring the No. 2 and No. 3 scoring defenses, respectively, to the table for this must-see matchup. The Thunder are giving up only 107.6 points per game; the Pistons are second in the East (109.5 PPG allowed). Detroit's defensive rating has improved by 5.4 points per 100 possessions since Cunningham went down with a collapsed lung. His absence is obviously a massive loss on the offensive end of the floor, but it has not been detrimental from a defensive standpoint.

The Thunder play slow and aren't going to run the Pistons out of the gym – especially not on tired legs following Sunday’s thriller against New York. OKC ranks No. 18 in the NBA in pace of play at 103.3 possessions per contest. The Under is 4-2 in Detroit’s last six overall, 6-3 in Oklahoma City’s last nine, and 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head matchups. Expect another low-scoring affair on Monday night.

PICK #3: Jaylen Brown Under 1.5 three-pointers made (-112) 

This is a tough matchup for basically everyone on the court – but especially for Oklahoma City’s backcourt. Detroit is No. 1 in the entire NBA in opponents’ three-point shooting percentage at 34.6%.

Over the past three games, the Pistons have been limiting the opposition to just 30.0% marksmanship from downtown after watching the Timberwolves go 9-for-43 during Detroit’s 109-87 victory on Saturday. The last time OKC and Detroit squared off, Dort went 1-for-5 from the land of plenty. He has failed to make multiple three-pointers in four of his last five second legs of back-to-backs.