The shorthanded Detroit Pistons face the NBA’s toughest challenge in the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
The pregame narrative: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is well on his way to his first MVP trophy. He headlines this +290 SGP that also includes Jalen Duren and Dennis Schroder.
Check out my Pistons vs. Thunder SGP predictions for April 2.
Pistons vs. Thunder predictions
Parlay: Gilgeous-Alexander 30+ points | Duren over 12.5 points | Schroder 6+ assists (+290)
Gilgeous-Alexander 30+ points (-180): This is a very high number for all but a select few, led by Gilgeous-Alexander.
He paces the NBA with 32.8 points per game, almost three full points more than what is required here.
The MVP frontrunner has been even better since the all-star break. He’s averaged 33.7 points in 19 games on an extremely efficient 52.0% from the floor. He’s 14-5 against this line during that time.
The Pistons are an average matchup for point guards and hold the NBA’s seventh-best ATS record (40-32-3).
They should be able to stay competitive for long enough in this matchup for SGA to hit his 30-point nightly quota.
NBA SGP legs
Duren over 12.5 points (-122): Since Cade Cunningham has been out for Detroit, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has drawn up more offence for Duren.
He has topped this point total in all four games without his point guard.
Duren’s scoring success extends back much further than that, though. Take a look at his averages from the past 35 games:
- 14.1 points
- 70.2 FG%
- 26-9 against this line
Duren had just eight points against OKC on March 15. He took a measly six shots in that matchup and I can’t help but feel like the big man will see a pretty significant uptick in volume this time around.
He’s averaging 10.0 shot attempts over the past four games without Cunningham active.
Schroder 6+ assists (-210): The biggest contributor in Cunningham’s absence, though, is the backup point guard.
He only played 30-plus minutes in one game as a Piston with his star teammate in the lineup. That was in an 18-game sample size.
Without Cunningham, Schroder has been significantly more involved. Here are his averages from the past four games:
- 32.5 minutes
- 8.0 assists
- 14.8 potential assists
Schroder had six or more assists in three of those contests.
Pistons vs. Thunder predictions made at 1:15 p.m. ET 04/02/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.