Hornets vs. Pistons Wednesday NBA injury report, odds: Cade Cunningham may return from injury; Detroit only team yet to win as favorite this season
The Pistons may have Cade Cunningham in the lineup when they host Charlotte.
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The only team in the NBA yet to win a game straight up this season as a favorite is, to no surprise, the league-worst Detroit Pistons. They're 0-3 straight up in that scenario and also 0-3 against the spread. Detroit is currently -2.5 on the SportsLine consensus for Wednesday's game against visiting Charlotte, and the Pistons might finally welcome back star Cade Cunningham from injury.
Entering Wednesday's action, San Antonio and Detroit are tied for the fewest games played as favorites. Charlotte, incidentally, has only been favored four times and is 0-4 ATS – joining the Pistons as the only NBA teams without an ATS win as favorites. Charlotte does have two SU wins.
It's actually possible the Hornets are favored by tipoff if Cunningham doesn't play. He has been out since Jan. 7 with a knee injury and was originally listed probable for Wednesday but was recently been downgraded to questionable -- never a good sign just hours before a game. There aren't any props available for him at the various sportsbooks yet.
Cunningham has been a rare bright spot this season for Monty Williams' club, averaging 22.8 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. Over the past 30 seasons, his 11 30-point games through the team's first 43 games of a season are fourth-most in franchise history, and Cunningham has only played in 36 of them.
Detroit will see the season debut of veteran point guard Monte Morris, a Flint native and former Michigan Mr. Basketball winner, who has been out all season with a lower back strain and a right quad strain. The Pistons acquired the 28-year-old this summer from Washington for a second-round pick to provide a steadying presence for a young backcourt.
Presumably, Morris will come off the bench. That unit has been a strength of late for the Pistons -- their second unit has scored at least 60 points in three of the past four games, averaging 59.2 in that span. The bench ranks third in the NBA with 536 total points since Jan. 1.
Charlotte traded second-leading scorer Terry Rozier to Miami on Tuesday for veteran point guard Kyle Lowry and a future first-round pick. Lowry will not debut Wednesday and likely never suits up for the Hornets as they would like to flip him. GM Mitch Kupchak said Lowry is unlikely to play for the team prior to the league's Feb. 8 trade deadline. The team remains without Gordon Hayward and Mark Williams, both out with injuries. Forward Nick Richards was questionable but has been upgraded to probable.
The Pistons actually lead the season series, winning 111-99 in Charlotte on Oct. 27. Detroit won the next night vs. Chicago to improve to 2-1 and then lost an NBA record-tying 28 games in a row. The Pistons snapped that skid on Dec. 30 vs. Toronto, but are just 1-11 since.
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