Coming off a strong win, the Detroit Pistons will meet the East’s leaders at the Milwaukee Bucks. Here is what you need to know for Saturday’s game.
The Detroit Pistons have plenty of reasons to feel good after a strong showing Friday night but they had to get on a flight to pay a visit to the Eastern Conference favorite Milwaukee Bucks.
Saturday night’s game will be a test of what the Pistons showed a night prior – confidence, energy and health. Blake Griffin has yet to play on a back-to-back this season and he admitted these first few games felt like preseason for him returning from injury. His status is something to watch.
Gameday information
Tip-off: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports Detroit
Radio: 97.1 FM The Ticket
Streams: FUBO.TV and Fox Sports Go
Last time out: Pistons (5-10) beat Atlanta 128-103 on Friday. Bucks beat Portland 139-127 on Thursday.
Betting odds
Line: Bucks -12 (opened at Bucks -12.5)
Over/under: 227.5
Moneylines: Pistons +600; Bucks -900
ATS: Pistons 5-9-1; Bucks 7-8
ATS splits: Pistons 1-6-1 on the road; Bucks 2-3 at home
O/U splits: Pistons 5-3 on the road; Bucks 4-1 at home
Detroit has not had a great start to the season, bogged down by injuries and has been awful away from home. The Pistons are 1-7 straight up on the road and playing against the East”s favorites will be tough to overcome, and the lines reflect that.
*All lines and betting information provided by The Action Network.
Injury reports
The official injury report hasn’t come out yet but Reggie Jackson remains out in the third of at least four weeks in his timetable with a back injury. Khyri Thomas is out in the second of a six-week injury period. Tony Snell, who sat out the previous two games would be a lift to the Pistons rotation if he were to give it a go.
Griffin played a season-high 33 minutes on Friday night, likely building up his minutes and probably isn’t ready to test his knee on a back-to-back yet. It’s something to watch on the injury report.
Talented two-way wing, originally drafted by the Pistons, Khris Middleton is out for several weeks with a quadriceps injury.
DFS tips
It’s generally a good idea to target Giannis Antetokounmpo because he is matchup proof. Even at a $12,000 price, the value of 60 DKFP is lower than his season average of 63.7 DKFP. He’s led the Bucks in scoring all but three games, every game in rebounding and in nine of 15 games in assists.
If Griffin sits on Saturday, Andre Drummond becomes the counter to Antetokounmpo at $8,300 on DraftKings. He was priced over $9,300 in five games and hit $10K four times with Griffin out or returning. So that’s a tremendous value if Griffin sits.
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Brook Lopez is another option to look at since Drummond generally hasn’t played well against mobile centers that can play on the perimeter, which is primarily where Lopez will sit to leave space for Antetokounmpo to work inside.
Again, if Griffin sits then there’s some value with Luke Kennard, who is probably a cash game option, and Derrick Rose, who is fine in either format, with greater ball-handling responsibility. The same could be said for Bruce Brown, who is coming off one of his best games and showing comfort as a point guard.
Christian Wood will see minutes and could be a high-upside option since he is blowout proof and with a line of 12 points, it could be likely he sees extended time.
The other thing about Saturday’s game is that it could be a nice game stack option, especially if Griffin sits. Milwaukee is scoring a league-best 120.8 points per game. The Bucks are giving up 111.5 points per game. Meanwhile the Pistons are giving up 111.4 points per contest and will be forced into scoring more with a quicker tempo or to keep pace in a comeback effort.
Good luck with your bets and daily fantasy sports games.