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The Detroit Pistons (9-28) visit the Chicago Bulls (15-19) on Friday night. Action tips off at 8:10 pm ET. Below we continue our NBA odds series with a Pistons-Bulls prediction and pick.
Detroit snapped a six-game losing streak in their most recent outing but still sits in last place in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons have covered 50% of their games while 58% of their games have gone over the projected point total. Chicago has won four of their last five games but still sits in 10th place in the East. The Bulls have covered 49% of their games while 53% of their games have gone under. This will be the first of four meetings between the two teams this season. Last year, the Bulls took all four matchups with both games in Chicago being settled by double-digits.
Here are the Pistons-Bulls NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Pistons-Bulls Odds
Detroit Pistons: +8.5 (-110)
Chicago Bulls: -8.5 (-110)
Over: 230 (-110)
Under: 230 (-110)
Why The Pistons Could Cover The Spread
Detroit looked to be in a strong position to keep things tight after an impressive 20-point win over the Magic on Wednesday. However, they will be without point guard Killian Hayes and backup guard Hamidou Diallo tonight due to suspensions. With both guards absent, look for veteran Alec Burks to take on a much larger role. Burks was the catalyst in Detroit's win on Wednesday. He scored 32 points on 10-11 shooting and nailed six threes. The 31-year-old now gets to face off against a Chicago defense allowing the second-highest three-point percentage. Although he's averaging just 13.8 PPG this year, his 43% mark from deep could be a huge factor in a potential Pistons cover.
While Burks' season-high and the Hayes-Wagner altercation stole the spotlight, forward Saddiq Bey had yet another monster game. Bey scored 28 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and dished out four assists in the win. He drained six threes as well – marking his fourth game out of their last five with multiple threes. Bey floats in and out of the starting lineup and has struggled with consistency, but is Detroit's best heat-check guy. Detroit is 3-2 when Bey scores 25+ this season and they'd be in a great position to cover if he can string together another strong performance.
While forward Bojan Bogdanovic had a quiet night with just 14 points against the Magic, he remains in the midst of a stellar season. Bogdanovic leads the team with 20.7 PPG and has shot an efficient 48% from the field, 40% from three, and 90% from the free throw line. While he has been cold from deep lately (33% from three over their last ten games) a date with one of the league's most generous three-point defenses could be just what he needed to get back on track.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
Right when Chicago looked like they would be mailing it in and joining the lottery sweepstakes, the Bulls started to rattle off wins. While the Bulls still sit in 10th place, they've won four of their last five after an impressive win over the second-place Bucks. They defeated three Eastern Conference playoff contenders on the road during that stretch in one of the more impressive runs of the year. Perhaps the biggest improvement over that span for Chicago has been on offense. The Bulls rank just 16th in scoring as they normally average 113.6 PPG. They've scored at least 118 points in each of their last three games and now match up with the NBA's second-worst defense.
Detroit has allowed opponents to score 118.5 PPG this season. They've been especially poor at keeping opponents off the free-throw line. The Pistons give up the fourth-most attempted free throws per game. That potentially sets Chicago star DeMar DeRozan up for a big night. DeRozan attempts the ninth-most free throws per game in the league as he takes over eight shots from the charity stripe per game. He's shooting 89% from there this season as his relentless attacks on the rim lead to a lot of success. Overall, DeRozan leads his team with 26.5 PPG and 5.0 APG. He's been red-hot during the team's recent turnaround, averaging 31.5 PPG, 7.3 APG, and 7.0 RPG over their last four games. Fresh off a 42-point, 10-rebound performance against Milwaukee, DeMar gives Chicago a great chance to cover tonight despite a hefty spread.
For as bad as Detroit has been this season, they are decent on the glass. If the Bulls want to cover tonight they'll likely need center Nikola Vucevic to dominate in that aspect of the game. Vucevic ranks in the top 10 in the league in rebounding with 10.3 RPG.
Final Pistons-Bulls Prediction & Pick
With Detroit missing a few key guys, I like the Bulls to cover and blow the Pistons out.
Final Pistons-Bulls Prediction & Pick: Chicago Bulls -8.5 (-110)
