The Miami Heat are on the second night of a back-to-back as they travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons. Now is a great time to continue our NBA odds series with a prediction, pick and finding out how to watch the game.
The Heat are coming off a 14-point loss in Chicago on Saturday night. In a game where they saw themselves down 25 at halftime, the Heat were able to cut the margin to in the fourth quarter before the Bulls pulled away again. Without Kyle Lowry in the lineup, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Max Strus scored 67 of the team's 99 points in the loss. On the season, Miami is trying to get out of the play-in tournament and into the playoffs as the sixth seed. They trail the Brooklyn Nets by two games, but can make up some ground with a win Sunday.
The Pistons are playing at home for the seventh time in eight games in this matchup with the Heat. Detroit has not played since Thursday, which was a loss to the Denver Nuggets, 119-100. However, all five starters for the Pistons were in double figures in addition to two bench players. Detroit is sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference, and they currently hold the worst record in the league at 16-55.
Here are the Heat-Pistons NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Heat-Pistons Odds
Miami Heat: -10 (-110)
Detroit Pistons: +10 (-110)
Over: 218 (-110)
Under: 218 (-110)
How To Watch Heat vs. Pistons
TV: Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Sports Sun
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 6 PM ET/ 4 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
Miami is one of the best teams in the league defensively. They give up just 109.7 points per game, which is good for second–best in the league. They are also top five in steals per game with 8.2. Another thing the Heat do exceptionally well is free throws. They shoot over 20 free throws a game and make 83.1 percent of them. Making those free throws is what can win or lose games in the fourth quarter, and the Heat are constantly in close games.
One thing to note about the Heat loss on Saturday is they were without their leading assist man, Kyle Lowry. Lowry averages 5.2 assists per game and facilitates the offense for Miami. He is still day-to-day, but he has the possiblity of returning in Detroit. The Pistons are dealing with injuries of their own. Bojan Bogdanovic will not play on Sunday and could be out for the rest of the season. He is the leading point scorer for Detroit, and without him, the Heat should have no problem shutting down the Pistons' offense.
Why The Pistons Could Cover The Spread
Detroit should come into this game with confidence despite not having Bogdanovic in the lineup. The Pistons were able to pick up a 20-point victory in Miami back in December during the the two teams' only game of the season so far. However, there will be some ground to make up without their best player suiting up.
Jaden Ivey will try to pick up the slack. In the seven games he has played without Bogdanovic this season, Ivey has 16.7 points, 7 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game, including two double-doubles. James Wiseman has played 13 games with Detroit since being traded and has done well. Averaging 13.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game with the Pistons, Wiseman will need to protect the paint and have a big game if the Pistons want to win.
Miami allows oppenents to shoot 37 percent from 3-point range this season, which is in the bottom 10 in the NBA. The Heat do a lot of things well defensively, but their weakness seems to be the 3-ball. Detroit shoots just 35 percent from beyond the arc, but if they can find a way to get hot, they will give themselves a chance to win this game.
Final Heat-Pistons Prediction & Pick
The Heat will have a fully healthy team if Lowry returns Sunday. Not having Bogdanovic continues to be a huge blow for Detroit. The Heat should roll through the Pistons in this one.
Final Heat-Pistons Prediction & Pick: Heat -10 (-110) Under 218 (-110)
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