The Dallas Mavericks will head to Detroit to take on the Pistons at the Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Mavericks-Pistons prediction and pick.
Dallas has won four of their last five games and sits just 1.5 games back of the fifth-spot in the Western Conference. Detroit is looking forward to the end of the season as they're in dead last in the Eastern Conference standings. Will the Mavericks be able to take care of their business against an underwhelming Pistons bunch?
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Mavericks-Pistons odds.
NBA Odds: Mavericks-Pistons Odds
Dallas Mavericks -8.5 (-105)
Over 214.5 Points (-110)
Under 214.5 Points (-110)
Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread
The Dallas Mavericks are coming off one of their best performances of the season in their last win against the Warriors. The 30-point victory was commanding, but honestly had potential to be greater if they hadn't taken their foot off the gas late. It should come as no surprise that Luka Doncic led the way for his club in the win. In 28 minutes, Doncic dropped 39 points and delivered eight assists to catapult his team past the scorching hot Warriors led by Steph Curry.
The Mavericks were virtually unstoppable in that game as they went on a 28-0 run at one point. This feat wasn't accomplished against a sub-par group either. The Warriors have been rolling and will almost certainly appear the first-ever play-in tournament. Dallas is 4-1 in their last five games and continues to roll on despite the injuries to Kristaps and Luka.
Why The Pistons Could Cover The Spread
The Detroit Pistons finally scrapped together a nice win against the Atlanta Hawks in their last game. The 14-point victory against Atlanta snapped a three-game losing streak that saw Detroit get outscored by 31 points collectively. The defense was superb for the Pistons as they held the Hawks to under 15% shooting from three. They will have to continue to focus on the defensive end with many of their key players being rested down the stretch.
Detroit's best player right now is Saddiq Bey, who has shown some signs of life for his club lately. Bey is the catalyst for the Pistons and will certainly lead the way tonight. With the Mavericks willingness to push the pace, look for Bey to put up some solid numbers. The Pistons have enjoyed playing games at home recently as they are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine home games coming in. They are 16-11-1 ATS at home this year and remain competitive every night out at the Little Caesars Arena.
Final Mavericks-Pistons Prediction & Pick
The Dallas Mavericks are clearly the better team in this spot. No questions asked. I do believe that with a bunch of questionables down the line, Dallas will be hesitant to send everyone out onto the court in this game, though. If guys like Kristaps Porzingis, JJ Reddick, and Josh Richardson are out for this game, Detroit should have enough firepower at home to cover this spread. The Pistons' recent success and defensive prowess at home should carry over into a matchup with a depleted Maverick bunch. The Pistons will enjoy the pace that Dallas likes to play at, too.
FINAL PICK: Detroit Pistons +8.5 (-115)
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