Pistons vs. 76ers Pick
Will the host Philadelphia 76ers send the Detroit Pistons to a second loss in as many days tonight at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the 76ers are listed as a 5.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 214 points.
Detroit comes into action with a 14-7 overall record and 14-6-1 ATS after a 109-91 victory at the Wizards. Philadelphia is 12-9 and 14-7 ATS following a 108-97 loss at the Celtics. The 76ers won the first meeting by a count of 97-86 in Detroit back on Oct. 23. The four meetings since the start of last season have gone 2-2 straight up and 2-2 ATS. The under has gone 3-1.
The Pistons were paced by Tobias Harris as he tallied 15 points and two rebounds. Andre Drummond accounted for 14 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists. Avery Bradley added 13 points, four steals and two assists. Detroit led by six at halftime but were outscored 35-15 in the third quarter which started with a 17-0 run.
Philadelphia was without star center Joel Embiid in the loss at Boston. He is expected to be back in the starting lineup tonight. Dario Saric led the way with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. JJ Redick tallied 17 points, five assists and three rebounds. Ben Simmons added 15 points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals. The 76ers trailed 54-44 at halftime.
Detroit is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings. The over is 6-2 in the last eight meetings in Philadelphia.
This would seemingly have been a more intriguing matchup if Detroit wasn’t on a back-to-back. But even so, Drummond should be highly motivated tonight after Embiid said after the last matchup he doesn’t play any defense. Those are fighting words. The Pistons are a great story this season and a win against another one of the NBA’s top stories on the road would open even more eyes. Maybe Philly does win, but Detroit has some points to work with for bettors. Look for the Pistons to cover on the road.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: DETROIT PISTONS +5.5