The Detroit Pistons look to break their 18-game losing streak when they visit the Orlando Magic on Friday night. It is time to continue our NBA odds series with a Pistons-Magic prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Pistons are eight games away from tying the NBA's single-season record of 26 straight losses. The 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers are tied for the record. The Pistons had an electric win on October 28th in their home opener, starting the season 2-1 and signaling they may have been ready for a breakthrough. Many people said that it was the best atmosphere in Little Caesars Arena since they moved to the new stadium. It turned out that they wouldn't win another game for a while, and 40 days later, they are still searching for their third win. They will now be without Jalen Duren, who missed most of his rookie season with ankle injuries. He left the game Wednesday with an apparent left ankle injury.

The Magic are one of the surprise teams in the league, getting out to a 14-7 record and sitting first in the Southeast division. They have lost two games in a row to the Cavaliers and Nets but afforded themselves some cushion with a nine-game winning streak through November. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are leading the team in points per game. Banchero has 20.6 per game, while Wagner has 20.4. Despite the 121-111 loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday night, Banchero put in a career-high 42 points. He is the second-youngest player in franchise history to score 40 points. The Magic's loss on Wednesday was due to shooting 2-of-23 from three-point range.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Pistons-Magic Odds

Detroit Pistons: +11.5 (-108)

Orlando Magic: -11.5 (-112)

Over: 230 (-112)

Under: 230 (-108)

How to Watch Pistons vs. Magic

Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT

TV: Bally Sports Detroit

Stream: FuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Pistons Could Cover The Spread

No one wants to bet on the Pistons right now. They are in the middle of an 18-game losing streak and have covered one game of their last six. There have been rare games where the Pistons have covered the spread, including against the Nuggets, Cavaliers, Bucks, and 76ers. The good thing about the Pistons' woes is that we can get them at a good enough number to consider betting on them. We have seen that some of the mediocre teams have been able to blow out the Pistons while the top teams in the league are letting the Pistons stick around. This is due to the top teams maybe taking the Pistons lightly and not taking the games as seriously. In recent years, the Magic would have fallen into the mediocre category, but they now feel like they are a top team in the East.

After Friday night's matchup, the Magic have games against the Cavaliers, Celtics(two times), Heat, Bucks, and Pacers. The Cavaliers game will be a chance for redemption after losing to them in the last game, and the rest will be a chance to show they belong among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. How much motivation will the Magic have to run up the score on the Pistons tonight? If the Pistons have been covering spreads against teams who overlook them, this may be the chance to take them in the ultimate look-ahead spot for the Magic.

Why The Magic Could Cover The Spread

It doesn't get more rock-bottom than right now for the Detroit Pistons. They finally had a chance to get a win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. They came into the game as just a 1.5-point underdog but lost by 14 at home. If they are getting dominated by a weak team like the Grizzlies, how will they fare against a team like the Magic? The Magic had a nine-game winning streak snapped by the Brooklyn Nets last Saturday. Then, they lost their second in a row to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They return home after the two-game road trip with a perfect opportunity to get back on track. There is no other team you want to see to break a losing skid than the Pistons.

Orlando's downfall in their game against the Cavaliers was their poor performance from three-point range. This is a number that should regress to the mean in this matchup. They are 29th in the league in threes per game, but they still hit 10.2 on average. The Magic enter this game 14th in scoring offense with 114.1 points per game. Where the Magic find their success is with their team defense. They are seventh in the league, allowing just 110.5 points per game. The Pistons won't challenge their defense in this matchup, as they will be without Jalen Duren and are only averaging 108.8 points per game with him in the lineup.

Final Pistons-Magic Prediction & Pick

There's a great point to be made that the Magic are in a look-ahead spot here. They have upcoming games against all the giants in the Eastern Conference. If the Magic were still in the middle of their winning streak, or at the least, weren't in the middle of a two-game skid, this would be the correct angle to take. However, they shouldn't be too happy about the two consecutive losses and will want to get things back on track before their upcoming gauntlet. This is also a poor matchup for the Pistons, as their 27th-ranked offense takes on the seventh-ranked defense of the Magic. Pistons fans shouldn't expect their losing streak to stop here, and their chances to improve their against-the-spread record don't look great either.

Final Pistons-Magic Prediction & Pick: Magic -11.5 (-112)