Subscribe
Follow Us
The Detroit Pistons take another shot at snapping their historically bad losing streak when they host the Utah Jazz at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday. Below is our NBA odds series as ClutchPoints hands out a Jazz-Pistons prediction and pick. ClutchPoints will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Jazz (10-18) are coming off a 124-116 loss to a Cleveland Cavaliers squad that did not have Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, or Evan Mobley. It was a game that Utah could have easily won, but Cleveland's bench stepped up in a huge way with unsung hero Sam Merrill pouring in 27 points with eight three-pointers. The Jazz were led by Lauri Markkanen, who finished with a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Pistons (2-25) lost their 24th game in a row on Monday to the Atlanta Hawks, led by Trae Young's 31-point, 15-assist performance. Cade Cunningham's career night wasn't enough to end Detroit's suffering. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick scored a career-high 43 points on 16-of-24 shooting, while Bogdan Bogdanovic added 25 points. But the Pistons still came up short as they let Atlanta shoot 54.1 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Jazz-Pistons Odds
Utah Jazz: -1 (-110)
Detroit Pistons: +1 (-110)
Over: 234 (-112)
Under: 234 (-108)
How To Watch Jazz vs. Pistons
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports Detroit, KJZZ
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
After Wednesday's loss to Cleveland, Utah dropped to 14-14 against the spread. On the road, however, the Jazz are just 4-11 in covering the spread. After a back-to-back, they are 2-3. Meanwhile, Jazz games have gone over the point total in 16 of their 28 games, including 8-of-15 on the road.
This is quite a narrow spread for the Jazz, considering the Pistons are coming in with one of the worst losing streaks in NBA history. Surely, Utah does not want to carry the distinction of being the team that Detroit finally beat to snap the 24-game slide. Unfortunately, the Jazz are at a huge disadvantage considering the Pistons haven't played since Monday, so they've had three days to prepare for this matchup.
Nonetheless, Utah will still have the best player on the floor with Lauri Markkanen, who is in the midst of another All-Star worthy campaign. On the season, Markkanen is averaging 23.3 points, 8.6 boards and 1.3 assists, while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Collin Sexton has also been a steady spark plug off the bench. He is averaging 15.0 points on 46.4 percent field goal shooting.
The Jazz have yet to submit their injury report for as of writing, but rookie Keyonte George has missed the Jazz's last four outings to a foot injury. Jordan Clarkson has also been dealing with a hamstring strain and has missed the last five games for Utah.
Why The Pistons Could Cover The Spread
2-25 record aside, the Pistons have done much better in covering the spread with a 9-18 record. At home, they hold a record of 3-10. Detroit's games have eclipsed the over/under 16 out of 27 times this season, including seven of 13 at Little Caesars Arena.
The Pistons obviously want to put an end to this misery. Looking at their schedule, this may be their best chance to finally break the 24-game skid and avoid holding the honor of having the longest losing streak in NBA history. The current record is at 26 straight losses held by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers.
Utah is coming in on the second night of a back-to-back after playing most of their key guys over 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Detroit is entering with three days of rest.
Cade Cunningham should enter this game with a ton of confidence especially after he scored his career-high on Monday. The 22-year-old is averaging 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists this season.
Bojan Bogdanovic has also provided them an offensive boost since his return and is averaging 21.1 points on nearly 50 percent shooting.
Starting center Jalen Duren is still out as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. Isaiah Stewart, who missed Detroit's last two outings due to a shoulder injury, has been upgraded to probable ahead of Thursday's game. Likewise, Killian Hayes, who did not play against Atlanta, is also probable with an illness.
Final Jazz-Pistons Prediction & Pick
The Pistons finally end the streak on Thursday. The table is set for them to do it. Utah enters this game pretty winded from Wednesday's game. The Pistons, meanwhile, have had substantial time to rest, prepare, and game plan.
Also, pick the over for this one. These are two of the worst defenses in the NBA, so both teams should have no problems scoring on each other.
Final Jazz-Pistons Prediction & Pick: Detroit Pistons: +1 (-110); Over: 234 (-112)
