Breaking news: Blazers head coach has been suspended for gambling.
The Detroit Pistons (7-43) meet the Portland Trail Blazers (15-35) Thursday at Moda Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Pistons vs. Trail Blazers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
Season series: Trail Blazers lead 1-0 after 110-101 road win Nov. 1
Portland beat Detroit as a 3.5-point underdog as the Under (216.5) hit in that 1st meeting.
The Pistons stunned the Kings in Sacramento Wednesday, posting a 133-120 win as 13.5-point underdogs as the Over (238.5) cashed. The Pistons have picked up the pace with 3 wins in the past 7 games while covering at a 10-2 against-the-spread (ATS) clip. The Over has cashed in 3 of the past 4 games.
The Trail Blazers were swept in a back-to-back set in Denver Friday and Sunday, but they were able to cover both games. In fact, Portland has cashed in 4 straight while the Under has a slight 10-5 edge across the past 15 outings. Portland is 8-3 ATS in the past 11 tries against Eastern Conference teams, too.
The Trail Blazers (-215) will cost you more than 2 times your potential return, and that’s quite a bit of risk for not nearly enough reward. While the Pistons (+180) still have a single-digit win total, 3 of the team’s 7 victories have come in the past 2 weeks.
Portland also has 3 wins in the past 7 games, including victories at home against the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. The Blazers are playing slightly better lately, but this is still just too much to risk on a singular play.
PASS.
Against the spread
The PISTONS +5.5 (-108) have rattled off 4 covers in the past 5 outings while going 10-2 ATS across the past 12 games. Detroit hasn’t been winning a lot of games outright, but it certainly has been ticking off a lot of covers.
The Trail Blazers -5.5 (-112) have cashed in 9 of the past 12 games, so these teams are both some of the hottest in The Association against the number. However, Portland is 1-3 ATS this season as a favorite. Side with the visitors.
Over/Under
OVER 227 (-110) might be the best trend on the board.
The Blazers struggle to score, going for just 108.4 PPG, while shooting 44% from the field. Portland ranks 29th in each of the categories. That might not look good for Over bettors, but they are 25th in the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage at 49.5%. Portland has allowed 116 PPG in the past 3 games while going for 108 or more points in 3 of the past 4 games and 7 of the previous 10 outings.
For the Pistons, they dropped 133 points in Sacramento, and Detroit has notched at least 120 points in 4 of the past 5 outings. The Pistons have conceded 117 or more points in 19 of the past 24 contests.
