The Charlotte Hornets welcome the Detroit Pistons for their second home game on Friday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Pistons-Hornets prediction and pick.

Detroit came up just short in its season opener against the defending Miami Heat. Despite a marginal 103-102 loss, the young Pistons showed a lot of resiliency and took the reigning Eastern Conference champions to the brink. Cade Cunningham made his NBA return and wasted no time proving why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Cunningham dropped 30 points on 13-of-27 shooting to go along with four three-pointers, three rebounds, and nine assists. Jalen Duren also had a monster night to open his sophomore season and finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks.

The Hornets, meanwhile, opened their season on a positive note with a 116-110 home win over Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. All Hornets starters scored in double figures with P.J. Washington leading the way with 25 points and Terry Rozier adding 24 points. No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller was also a spark off the bench for Charlotte with an efficient 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and three three-pointers. LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams also tallied double-doubles apiece with the former dropping 15 points and 10 assists and the latter going for 13 points and 15 rebounds.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Pistons-Hornets Odds

Detroit Pistons: +4 (-112)

Charlotte Hornets: -4 (-108)

Over: 226 (-112)

Under: 226 (-118)

How to Watch Pistons vs. Hornets

Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT

TV: Bally Sports SE Charlotte

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Pistons Could Cover The Spread

With their better-than-expected showing against the Miami Heat, the Detroit Pistons open the season 1-0 Against the Spread. The Pistons were nine-point underdogs versus Miami. But Detroit put together a strong second half that saw them outscore the Heat 55-45 after trailing by 11 points at the half.

Cunningham actually had a chance to give the Pistons the win, but just missed the potential straight away three-game winner. Nonetheless, expect the 22-year-old star to have another strong game after a stellar season-opener. Cunningham had his imprint all over the game for Detroit as he made his presence felt with both his scoring and playmaking. The Hornets could throw a lot of different bodies at the 6-foot-6 guard. Cunningham should be able to utilize his size should Charlotte put someone like Terry Rozier on him, or use his speed and quickness against an older head like Gordon Hayward or a bigger player like P.J. Washington.

Jalen Duren also had a terrific first game to open his sophomore season. Duren solidified his grasp on the starting center role with a monster double-double performance to go along with four swats on the evening. This upcoming matchup against Mark Williams should be an exciting clash between two sophomore big men who could be in for breakout campaigns.

Bojan Bogdanovic will be out for the foreseeable future with a right calf strain. His absence devoids Detroit a career 39.4 percent three-point shooter who could help space the floor for Cunningham and even Duren to flourish. Apart from Bogdanovic, Monte Morris is also out with a quad strain and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread

Like Detroit, the Hornets also had a better-than-expected season opener. But unlike the Pistons, Charlotte actually came away with the win to open the year 1-0 ATS and on the moneyline.

The Hornets had such a horrendous offseason dealing with various off-court controversies, particularly with Miles Bridges and Kai Jones. But the team showed some promise to begin the new season with Brandon Miller putting together an efficient 13 points off the bench after a rather rocky Summer League and preseason.

Mark Williams was also a bright spot and showed why he is going to be a force in the middle for many years to come with a monster double-double performance. As mentioned, he should be in line for an intriguing matchup against Duren.

LaMelo Ball had a slow start to his fourth NBA season with just 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting, with all of his makes coming from beyond the arc. Ball should look to play a better game and choose his spots to bounce back and have a more efficient individual outing.

Cody Martin (left knee soreness), James Bouknight (left knee), and Frank Ntilikina (tibia fracture) are all out on Friday night.

Final Pistons-Hornets Prediction & Pick

The Pistons should come away with the win here. They let one slip away in Miami and should be motivated to bounce back and take the win. Charlotte will also have a hard time matching up with Cunningham, whose size and versatility can present problems for any team in the league.

Final Pistons-Hornets Prediction & Pick: Detroit Pistons: +4 (-108), Under: 226 (-108)