Detroit Pistons need to respond vs. Orlando Magic: Odds, best bets

The Detroit Pistons need to respond to two embarrassing losses in a row tonight vs. the Orlando Magic at home.

Sometimes it takes being called out to light a fire under a young team, and the Pistons have been called out, first by their coach, then by the crew at TNT.

If being called soft on national television isn’t enough to motivate you, then I don’t know what will. The Pistons were playing with intensity in their two wins against the Spurs and Bucks but came out flat and gave inconsistent effort in the next two, both blowout losses.

After seemingly turning his season around, Saddiq Bey has disappeared in the last two games, and the Pistons as a team need to find some of that spark he briefly gave them along with teammate Hamidou Diallo.

Tonight they take on the Orlando Magic in a battle of the two worst teams in the NBA, and the Detroit Pistons need to come out and play with some fire. If they don’t, Dwane Casey may find himself on the hot seat and some of the regulars may find themselves on the bench, as they are not playing with the kind of effort we saw from their G-League counterparts.

Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic: Odds, spread, over/under

According to WynnBET, the Detroit Pistons are 2.5 point favorites tonight at home vs. the Orlando Magic. The fact that the Pistons are favored in this one after their last two efforts shows just how badly things are going for the Magic, who have lost seven in a row and find themselves percentage points below the Pistons for the worst record in the league.

The money lines are set at -145 for the Pistons and +120 for the Magic, so the Pistons are not heavily favored in this one even though they are at home.

The over/under is 212 combined points, which seems generous considering these are two of the worst offenses in the league, averaging just over 100 points each for the season. However, they both allow 111 point per game, so the books are counting on bad defense in this one.

I do think the Pistons are going to come out with some effort after being embarrassed and called out, so I would take them to get their 8th win at home tonight. Both teams will be eager to win a game against the other bottom feeder, so expect some points, so I’d take Detroit with the over.

Pistons vs. Magic: Best fantasy bets

Saddiq Bey and Hamidou Diallo have both cooled off since the regulars returned, which leaves Cade Cunningham as the only decent bet left.

Cunningham has been inconsistent shooting the ball, but he has been putting up big assist numbers since Jerami Grant went out and can be counted on to fill the stat sheet even if he isn’t scoring in volume.

Expect the Pistons to get killed in the paint again tonight, as they have most of the season and avoid their big men. Both Cole Anthony and Franz Wagner are listed as questionable, though both are expected to play, but if Wagner is out, Bey may be able to get back on track.

Jalen Suggs is still out, so this should be a game where Cade Cunningham can dominate.

How to watch Pistons vs. Magic

Are you really sure you want to? The last two games have been hard to watch for the Pistons’ faithful, but given their inconsistency this season, they could bounce back with a big one (hope hope). You can watch it at 7:00 PM ET on Bally Sports Detroit or listen on 97.1 FM the Ticket.