We're back for coverage of the NBA as we bring you a betting prediction and pick for what could be an NBA Finals preview for each conference. The San Antonio Spurs (40-16) will take on the Detroit Pistons (42-13) as two of the NBA's top teams meet for the first time. Check our NBA odds series for the Spurs-Pistons prediction and pick.
The San Antonio Spurs are currently second in the Western Conference, three games back of Oklahoma City following their most recent 139-122 win over the Sacramento Kings. They come into this highly-anticipated road tilt as the slight betting underdogs in Detroit.
The Detroit Pistons continue their run atop in the Eastern Conference, leading by 5.5 games after beating the Chicago Bulls 126-110. They've now won eight of their last nine games and will look to take a 1-0 series lead over one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
NBA odds courtesy of DraftKings
Spurs vs. Pistons Odds
San Antonio Spurs: +1.5 (-115)
Detroit Pistons: -1.5 (-105)
Over: 231.5 (-115)
Under: 231.5 (-105)
Spurs vs. Pistons Key Injuries
San Antonio: Mason Plumlee (conditioning – OUT) / Lindy Waters III (knee – OUT)
Detroit: Isaiah Stewart (suspension – OUT)
Spurs vs. Pistons Betting Trends
- The Detroit Pistons are 21-6 at home this season. The San Antonio Spurs are 18-10 on the road.
- The Pistons are 32-12 as betting favorites. The Spurs are 10-7 as underdogs.
- The Pistons are 31-24 ATS overall, 15-12 ATS at home. The Spurs are 32-25 ATS overall, 16-14 ATS on the road.
- The Spurs are 6-4 outright, 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games against the Pistons.
- The Spurs are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games.
- The Pistons are 5-0 ATS in their last five games.
- The total has gone OVER in six of San Antonio's last seven games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Detroit's last 20 games.
Keys to Spurs vs. Pistons Matchup
In this first meeting of the season, fans could be in for a treat as there's a high likelihood both these teams meet in the NBA Finals. They're playing some of their best basketball of the season around this All-Star break, the Spurs winning eight-consecutively and the Pistons winning eight of their last nine. The only major absence here will be Detroit's Isaiah Stewart as he continue his league suspension, offering Victor Wembanyama a solid matchup without the physical defender giving him issues.
Still, the Pistons managed to dominate their Eastern Conference rival in the New York Knicks 126-111 without both Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart in the lineup. Paul Reed has been a massive spark plug in scoring and rebounding the ball for them, so it's scary to see such depth in the Pistons' lineup around Cade Cunningham. Cunningham continues to be one of the league's top players and should be the favorite to win this year's “Clutch Player of the Year” award.
The Pistons are eighth overall in PPG (117.6) and the Spurs are slightly better at sixth overall (118.6 PPG), but the Pistons rank second overall behind just the Thunder in overall defensive rating. The Spurs are third in defensive categories in the league, so we should be in for a hard-nosed defensive battle between two extremely efficient offenses.
The main storyline throughout this game will be All-Star center Jalen Duren matching up against All-Star Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama is totaling 24.3 PPG, ranking him 18th in the league while ranking fifth-overall in rebounds with 11.2 per game. His most important impact, however, is his activity on the defensive end and leading the charge through his active feet around the paint. He's constantly switching and rolling to provide shot blocking help, so expect the Pistons to run into some problems if they can't effectively stop Wembanyama.
Spurs vs. Pistons Prediction and Pick
Fans are in for a treat as two of the NBA's best teams from each conference are playing some of their best basketball right now. The San Antonio Spurs are looking like a serious threat to dethrone the Thunder in the West while the Pistons look like the clear choice in the East following their recent dominance over the New York Knicks.
We'll learn a lot in this first meeting, specifically regarding how the Pistons plan to stop Victor Wembanyama with their help defense. The Spurs could be the more versatile team behind guards like De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, so it'll be interesting to watch their own efforts in trying to keep up with MVP candidate Cade Cunningham.
While the Pistons have been great during this recent stretch, Isaiah Stewart would certainly be a massive addition to helping stop Wembanyama in the paint. While Duren is a great defender, his offense may suffer given the length and shot blocking of Wemby down low.
For our final pick, we're going to roll with the San Antonio Spurs to cover this spread on the road as they upset the Pistons on the close betting line. Given these are two of the best defenses in the NBA, we'll also side with the total under on points scored.
Final Spurs-Pistons Prediction & Pick: San Antonio Spurs +1.5 (-115); UNDER 231.5 (-105)
