New Orleans Pelicans vs Detroit Pistons Prediction, 3/26/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Detroit Pistons

Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026

Location: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

The Detroit Pistons (51-19) will play the New Orleans Pelicans (25-47) at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday.

The Pelicans played the Cavaliers and ended up losing by a score of 111-106 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Pelicans ended up with 16 and the Cavaliers finished the game with 26 personal fouls. They made 12 of 39 attempts from three-point range. Cleveland finished 68.2% at the charity stripe by knocking down 15 of their 22 shots. On top of that, Cleveland collected 34 rebounds (9 offensive, 25 defensive) and earned 6 blocks. Cleveland recorded 28 dimes and had 8 steals in the game. When discussing defense, New Orleans allowed the other team to go 47.7% from the field on 42 out of 88 shooting. They also doled out 31 dimes in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In reference to pulling down rebounds, they earned 55 with 17 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Pelicans knocked down 16 of their 20 attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. New Orleans ended the contest having earned a 43.3% field goal percentage (39 out of 90) and buried 12 of their 40 shots from distance.

Zion Williamson is one guy who was a major contributor for the contest. He recorded 25 points on 10 of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 32 mins played and snagged 6 rebounds. Williamson finished the contest at 71.4% from the floor and also recorded 4 assists.

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New Orleans heads into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 25-47 on the year. They are averaging 115.5 points per game (15th in the NBA) while shooting 46.6% from the field. The Pelicans are hitting 34.7% on shots beyond the perimeter (813 of 2,344) and 78.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, New Orleans is grabbing 44.1 boards per contest and has tallied 1,818 dimes this year, which ranks 18th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 14.3 times per contest and as a squad are committing 19.8 fouls per contest.

When they are on the defensive end, the Pelicans are forcing their opponents into 14.6 turnovers per game and they draw 20.2 personal fouls. They are conceding 34.7% on 3-pointers while they are 25th in the NBA in points per game from their opponents (119.2). The Pelicans defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 47.4% (3,122 of 6,587) and they concede 45.6 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 25th in basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 1,987 surrendered so far this year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Pistons took home the win by a final score of 115-101 against the Warriors. In relation to rebounding, Detroit allowed Golden State to get 35 overall (9 offensive). They finished shooting 36.4% from beyond the arc by going 12 of 33 and walked away from this one shooting 19 out of 26 from the charity stripe (73.1%). The Pistons allowed the Warriors to knock down 35 of their 76 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 46.1% in this matchup. When the game finished, the Pistons finished the game shooting 45 for 86 from the floor which gave them a rate of 52.3%. In reference to 3-point shots, Detroit made 5 of 21 tries (23.8%). They were able to knock down 20 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 69.0%. The Warriors committed 20 personal fouls for the game which got the Pistons to the charity stripe for 29 attempts. They coughed up the ball 26 times, while getting 6 steals in the game. The Pistons corralled 28 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 38 in this game.

Jalen Duren was important for the Pistons for this contest. Duren scored 23 points in his 21 mins on the court and added 1 assist in this contest. He converted 8 of 12 for the contest for a rate of 66.7%, and had 6 rebounds.

Detroit has a mark of 51-19 for the campaign. The Pistons are committing 22.2 fouls per contest and they shoot 75.9% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 27.1 times per game (12th in basketball) and they are turning it over 15.0 times per game. Detroit has scored 8,216 pts on the season (117.4 per game) and they pull in 45.8 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Pistons are shooting 48.0% from the field, which ranks them 7th in the league.

The Pistons are ranked 3rd in the NBA in PPG given up with 109.5. They have forced 17.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.3% from the field (3rd in basketball). The Detroit defense surrenders 34.9% on shots from distance (891 of 2,555) and their opponents are converting on 79.5% of their free throw attempts. They concede 23.3 assists and 40.9 boards per contest, which is ranked 1st and 4th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Detroit

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