The setup is just too perfect for the Detroit Pistons, and they should spring an upset on the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. The trap has been set.
The Pistons have been one of the worst teams in the NBA season so far (This is not breaking news). On the other hand, the Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the best, sporting a 6-2 record and currently sitting second in the Eastern Conference.
And Detroit will beat them Thursday night.
To quote that famous basketball expert, Star Wars’ Admiral Ackbar: “It’s a trap”.
A ‘trap game’ is when a team with a much better record looks past an opponent they expect to beat easily. All the signs for this being a ‘trap game’ are aligned.
Why the Detroit Pistons will defeat the Philadelphia 76ers
- The Sixers are playing the second game of a back-to-back, while the Pistons have been off since Monday.
- They will be shorthanded, as starting forward Tobias Harris (health & safety protocols) and Danny Green (hamstring tightness) are out, as well as Ben Simmons (mental health, doesn’t wanna).
- 76ers center Joel Embiid may not be in action. He has a balky knee and just played Wednesday against the Bulls. He also rarely plays the back end of back-to-backs.
- Andre Drummond will start for the 76ers if Embiid is not a go. Need I say more?
- Detroit players have pride. They have veterans who do not want to be getting their brains beaten in every game. This 76ers are a team they played right down to the wire a week ago in Philly (with Harris and Green playing), so they are not intimidated.
The line for the game has the Pistons as a 6.5 point underdog. That is a lot of points given to a home team, particularly a rested squad going against a team flying in, after having played the night before.
Detroit has had a rough early schedule, and playing a team that just knocked off Portland and Chicago is not going to be a walk in the park. But circumstances seem to all be in the Pistons favor for this game.
A loss to a tired, undermanned Sixers team would not be a good sign. But Detroit will, hopefully, be ready to spring ‘the trap’.