Game: Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Odds: Pistons +14, Bulls -14
Total: 220.5
Surprise, surprise. The Detroit Pistons, who once had the worst record in the entire NBA, have now won two games in a row. If you go back to last week, the Pistons have won four of their last six games and they have beaten two of the best teams in the NBA – Milwaukee and Utah. The victory over the Bucks last week was one of the biggest upsets in the NBA in the last 30 years as Detroit won as a 17-point underdog.
The Pistons did it again last night beating the Jazz as a 10.5-point dog. For a team that ranks 29th in the NBA in scoring, Detroit found a way to put up 126 points against a very good defense in Utah. The big problem for the Jazz was they were without their man in the middle, Rudy Gobert. In the end, Detroit won 126-116. Can they do the same and pull another upset in Chicago tonight
The Pistons will be hard-pressed to do so. Detroit is 1-12 in its last 13 games on the road and they have not done well against the Bulls recently. Chicago has beaten Detroit in nine of the last ten meetings between the two teams. While the Pistons have struggled on the road and against Chicago, remember that they had lost 10 in a row to Utah prior to last night.
The Bulls had their own streak come to an end over the weekend when they lost to Dallas 113-99. Chicago shot poorly from the floor. Zach LaVine ended up making just seven of his 21 shot attempts. Coming back home and playing in the United Center should provide some comfort for LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls duo that is tearing it up this season. Both average over 26 points per game and will likely be in this year’s All-Star game representing the Eastern Conference
Playing at home has been good to Chicago. The Bulls have won eight straight at the United Center. The bigger question is related to the spread. Fourteen points is a lot to cover in an NBA game, especially against a Pistons team that has covered two double-digit spreads in its last five games.
In Chicago’s nine-game win streak before the loss to Dallas, only two of those wins were by more than 14 points. The average margin of victory was 7.6 points. In the last ten games against Detroit, Chicago has won by an average of 7.4 points. The Bulls did, however, beat the Pistons by 15 the last time the two teams played.
Remember, Detroit only averages a little over 101 points per game on offense. In the last ten against Chicago, the Pistons have averaged 98.6 points per game. It should come as no surprise that the last six Bulls-Pistons game have seen the total go Under. Four of the last five totals have gone Under when Detroit has played at Chicago.