The Two Worst Teams In The NBA Face Off Tonight

The Lakers lost to the Sixers without LeBron, but looks like AD is back 〰 — let’s talk bad NBA teams 👇

Pistons @ Magic Preview

Get ready for a battle! The two worst teams in the NBA go head-to-head tonight, when the Pistons head to Orlando to face the Magic. Still, both have a group of up-and-comers who could be on their way to doing something special

Here’s how Vegas has things looking ahead of tonight’s action 👇

Pistons vs. Magic Betting Preview

• Spread: Magic -2

• Moneyline: Pistons +110 (bet $100, win $110), Magic -130 (bet $130, win $100)

• Over/Under: 212

Without a prayer of making the playoffs, each team has their eyes set on a different kind of victory 📋

The Race To The Bottom

Since the NBA flattened the lottery odds a couple of years ago, the team with the worst record no longer has the best odds of earning the top pick in the draft. However, a lesser record can improve a team’s odds of remaining inside the top-four, giving bad teams some incentive to get even worse

Right now, here’s how the lottery odds would look if the season ended today:

As things stand, Orlando has a three-game “lead” (by lead we mean worse record) on Detroit, but the Pistons, despite two more wins, have been the worst team in the NBA this season by point differential 👇

Worst Records In The NBA

1. Orlando: 9-40

2. Detroit: 11-36 (3.0 GB)

3. Houston: 14-34 (5.5 GB)

4. Oklahoma City: 14-33 (6.0 GB)

5. Indiana: 17-32 (8.0 GB)

A loss tonight could help Detroit “gain” ground on Orlando, who currently have the edge on the first pick. In a talented draft featuring Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero, every loss matures

The Young Cores

Although Cade Cunningham, the first overall pick of last year’s draft, headlines the youngsters on these two teams, the Pistons have a handful of guys capable of growing into impact players in the NBA 👇

• Cade Cunningham, 20 years old (rookie)

• Killian Hayes, 20 years old

• Isaiah Stewart, 20 years old

• Saddiq Bey, 22 years old

Killian’s shown flashes of brilliant passing, despite a shaky jumper and an inconsistent scoring output. Stewart has been a menace inside, proving to be the kind of high activity big that can cause problems as a pick and roll partner for Cade in the future. And, while Bey lacks high-end All-Star potential, he’s shown the possibility of growing into a solid 3-and-D wing

The Magic don’t have a number one overall pick, but they have a ton of lottery talent to build on 👇

• Jalen Suggs, 20 years old (rookie)

• Franz Wagner, 20 years old (rookie)

• Cole Anthony, 21 years old

• Wendell Carter Jr., 22 years old

• Mo Bamba, 23 years old

• Markelle Fultz, 23 years old

• Jonathan Isaac, 24 years old

Anthony’s been particularly impressive in his sophomore season, leading the team in scoring, assists, and despite being generously listed at just 6’2”, is second on the team in rebounding. He’s also coming off a career-high in assists in his last game

• The rest of the group is a bit older, but Fultz and Isaac probably have the most upside, despite both recovering from brutal injuries

• If those two can come back and make good on their potential, plus another top pick from the upcoming draft, the Magic have a chance to be a solid squad in the near future

The Awards Race

On these two teams alone, three rookies are still in the race for Rookie of the Year. Here’s how Vegas has the NBA’s best newbies ranked right now 🍼

2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year Odds

1. Evan Mobley: -150 (bet $150, win $100)

2. Scottie Barnes: +400 (bet $100, win $100)

3. Cade Cunningham: +600

4. Franz Wagner: +1000

5. Josh Giddey: +1800

6. Jalen Green: +3500

7. Chris Duarte & Ayo Dosunmu: +5000

8. Alperen Sengun

9. Davion Mitchell & Jalen Suggs: +15000

At this point in the season, the award is Mobley’s to lose, given just how essential he’s been to the Cavs’ success, especially on defense. However, Cade Cunningham is doing his best to make it a competitive race

• Cade is heating up at the right time, and coming off of his best game of the season, where he had 34 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks and shot 6-9 from three

With his standout performance, Cade set a few records 👇

• He passed Isiah Thomas as the youngest Piston to post a 30/5/5 game

• He joined Michael Jordan as the only other rookie with 30/8/8/4 in a game since 1973-74

If he can keep up the offensive onslaught, he might have a chance to pass Barnes and catch Mobley, especially if he racks up more appearances over the rest of the season than the young Cavalier

Trivia question: Who is the most recent Rookie of the Year that is already in the NBA Hall of Fame? (answer below)

For My Parlay Gurus

The Magic are 2-8 in their last 10, but the Pistons have lost three in a row. In tonight’s parlay, I’m taking the Magic in a low scoring game. While we’ve been hyping up both rosters, let’s not forget these are the two worst teams in the league for a reason 👇

• Magic -2 vs. Pistons: -110

• Under 212 total points: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $264 — if we hit, make sure to email [email protected] for $100*. First come, first serve 😉

Trivia answer: Tim Duncan won ROY in 1997-98, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020, his first year of eligibility