Do heavy underdog Pistons stand a chance vs. Bucks? Odds, best bets

Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons while playing against the Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons while playing against the Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The Detroit Pistons will limp into Milwaukee the loser of three winnable games in a row after last night’s collapse against the Heat.

The young Pistons have been playing 30+ minutes of a great basketball per night lately, unfortunately the games are 48 minutes and they seem to fall apart for 12-15 of them every game.

This is what happens when most of your guys are in their early 20’s, as Detroit went from looking like a great 4th quarter team to one that absolutely stunk in the 4th two games in a row.

Now they have the second game of a back-to-back on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks, who are 10-8 after winning four in a row, though those wins came against four bad teams (Lakers, OKC and the Magic twice).

There are signs that the Bucks are about to go on an extended run, and they have owned  the Pistons anyway, AND Detroit is shorthanded, so there are ample reasons why the Pistons are heavy underdogs.

Pistons vs. Bucks: Odds, spread, over/under, best fantasy bets

According to WynnBET, the Pistons are a whopping 14.5 point underdog against the Bucks in Milwaukee. That’s the highest a spread has been for the Pistons all season if I am not mistaken.

The money lines are also high, with the Pistons getting +800 to win and the Bucks set at -1400, so it’s obvious where the books stand on this one. They aren’t going to let bettors get easy money without paying for it and are pretty much daring anyone to bet the Pistons.

Unless you are into giving away money, I would avoid either of these bets because this one will almost certainly get ugly.

Here’s the caveat: We’ve seen so far this season that good teams are resting their guys against the young Pistons, so if the Bucks pull a Warriors’ move and sit some of their guys with “contusions,” then suddenly this looks like a great long shot bet.

The Pistons have also been hanging in these games they’ve been losing, two of which were against quality opponents and one against the Lakers. The Bucks will probably pull away at some point, but Detroit won’t quit playing, so for once I might take the points.

The over/under is 213.5, mostly because of the Bucks, who have scored 112 per game over their last three. Detroit scored 92 last night vs. Miami and if they put up a similar performance the under looks pretty good.

As far as daily fantasy goes, I hate every single matchup for the Pistons with Isaiah Stewart and Kelly Olynyk out. I hate to tell you to bet on the other team, but this might be a night to load up on some of the Bucks’ secondary guys. If the Bucks do get a big lead, guys like Grayson Allen and Bobby Portis could have big nights.

The Bucks crushed the Pistons in the last game with only Jerami Grant and Trey Lyles ending in double figures, so buyer beware on pretty much anyone.

Pistons vs. Bucks: How to watch

Are you sure you really want to watch this? Maybe spend some time with loved ones instead. But if you have to, it’s on Bally Sports Detroit or you can listen on 950 AM or 104.3 FM. The game does have a later start time at 8:00 PM ET.