Pistons vs. Magic Pick
Can the Detroit Pistons win for the sixth time in seven games tonight when they play at the Orlando Magic? Game time is 7PM ET.
Who Oddsmakers Like: Detroit. According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Pistons are listed as a 4.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 203 points. The Pistons opened as a 5-point favorite and the over-under was 202.
Who the Public Likes: Detroit. With 66 percent of the public bets, the majority of money is coming in on the Pistons.
Injury Report: The Pistons lost point guard Reggie Jackson to an ankle injury in their last game, a 107-83 shellacking at home over the Pacers. He’ll be out six-to-eight weeks. Shooting guard Avery Bradley has missed the last five games with a groin injury and his status is questionable for tonight. Forward Jon Leuer is out with a sprained ankle. Magic forward Aaron Gordon has been sidelined with a calf injury and is nearing a return, with him marked as questionable for tonight’s game. Center Nikola Vucevic has a broken hand and out indefinitely. Shooting guard Terrence Ross is out indefinitely with a sprained MCL.
Who the Trends Like: Detroit is 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings. The over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings. Orlando is 0-5 ATS in its last five games following a straight up loss by 10 or more points.
Who We Like: Orlando was starting to get healthier as Evan Fournier returned to the lineup and Gordon is almost back (if not tonight), but with the broken hand suffered by Vucevic it took away any good feelings. Gordon will certainly help, but this is a squad that is far removed from its hot start when it beat the likes of the Cavs and Spurs. The Pistons, meanwhile, have righted their ship but now must deal with their first game without Jackson. Smith is a capable starter and expect Langston Galloway to see more action at point guard. This is a game tailor-made for Tobias Harris, with a revenge factor built in against his former team. He is coming off a huge game against Indiana. If him and Andre Drummond are at the top of their game, Orlando isn’t likely to have any answers.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: DETROIT PISTONS -4.5