The Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns will play on Thursday night in an inter-conference matchup. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Pistons-Suns prediction and pick.
The Pistons and Suns enter Thursday's matchup in very, very different places. Phoenix is going for their 18th straight win, while the Pistons will be looking to avoid their eighth straight loss. The Suns have been arguably the best team in the NBA since late October, as they are now sharing the NBA's best record of 18-3 with the Golden State Warriors after beating them on Tuesday night. Needless to say the Suns enter this matchup with Detroit as very large favorites.
Here are the Pistons-Suns odds for this Thursday NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Pistons-Suns odds
Detroit Pistons +11.5 (-108)
Phoenix Suns -11.5 (-112)
Over 208 (-112)
Under 208 (-108)
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Why The Pistons Can Cover The Spread
The Pistons will dodge Devin Booker in this one, as he is set to miss some time after injuring his hamstring in Tuesday's win over the Warriors. Detroit will still have an uphill battle a win, but the cover is in play. Any time a spread goes beyond 10 or so, the cover is extremely in play. Phoenix should win this game comfortably, but things don't always go as planned in the NBA, especially during the regular season.
Article Continues BelowDetroit is desperate to snap their seven-game losing streak. Rookie Cade Cunningham has been up and down, but is the most talented player on the Pistons' roster. The Pistons are 10-11 vs. the spread this season, and were blown out by the Portland Trail Blazers in their last game. They will be facing a tough challenge on Thursday in regards to a cover or an outright win, as the Suns are red-hot and still talented enough to handle the Pistons without Booker.
Why The Suns Cover The Spread
The Suns are much, much better than the Pistons even without Devin Booker. Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton and company should be more than enough to take care of a Detroit team that has been one of the worst in the NBA this season. The Pistons are 2-8 in their last ten games and have the worst record in the Eastern Conference. In November, the Suns went 16-0 and +11.3 net rating. Paul should be able to orchestrate things in the absence of Booker while the supporting cast players like Bridges, Ayton, Jae Crowder and Cam Payne will all need to step it up a bit with Booker out.
Phoenix is 12-9 against the spread this season, and has lost just twice on their home floor. The Suns should be in good shape for a win on Thursday, and the cover is also extremely in play vs. a struggling Pistons team.
Final Pistons-Suns Prediction & Pick
Take the Suns to cover and win vs. Detroit on Thursday. They are simply too much for Detroit, and will be locked in looking to roll off another win. The absence of Booker hurts, but with another big matchup vs. the Warriors looming Friday, the Suns should look to take care of the Pistons in this one. Paul is the NBA's assist leader and the ball being in his hands a little bit more may not be the worst thing vs. a bad team like Detroit.
Look for CP3 to have a big night, with the Suns taking a comfortable win over the Pistons on Thursday.
Final Pistons-Suns Prediction & Pick: Suns -11.5 (-112)