Pistons betting odds vs. Magic: Let the tank begin!
The Detroit Pistons will take on the Orlando Magic tonight in a battle of two of the league’s worst teams.
The Pistons have the third-worst record, just a half game ahead of the Magic and a game ahead of the Houston Rockets, the NBA’s current worst team.
A loss tonight would alter the Pistons’ lottery odds slightly, as the second-worst record can only fall to 6th as a worst-case scenario, while the third-worst record can drop to 7th overall.
I thought that it would be impossible for the Pistons to tank this season, but I may have been wrong, as Jerami Grant has been ruled out of this one with a dubious injury, Frank Jackson and Hamidou Diallo are still out, Rodney McGruder is questionable, as is rookie Cade Cunningham.
Hopefully Cunningham will play, as this would be a good game for him to bolster his Rookie of the Year case against Franz Wagner in a game that is nationally televised.
The Magic are doing their best tank job as well, as Jalen Suggs has been ruled out and Wendall Carter Jr. and Chuma Okeke are both questionable.
Who will end the day with the worse record?
Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic: Odds, spread, over/under and best bets
According to WynnBET, the Pistons are four point underdogs on the road against Orlando, which is a pretty good sign that the books don’t think Cade Cunningham is going to play, otherwise, the line wouldn’t be this high.
The money lines are set at +138 for Detroit and -173 for Orlando and the over/under is a combined 217.5 points.
The Pistons have quietly been the best bet in the NBA over the last few weeks, as they are an incredible 12-0-1 against the spread in their last 13 games, with nearly all of them decided by single digits.
With or without Cade Cunningham, I think the Pistons will show up and play with heart, so I am going to keep the cover bet going until it fails me.
With so many injuries, scoring should be down, so take the points and the under and hope the Pistons pull out a close game on the road.
With both the Magic power forwards potentially out and Jerami Grant sitting as well, Marvin Bagley III is the best play in daily fantasy.
He will likely be in the starting lineup, and even if he isn’t, he’ll get plenty of run and should be the number one scoring option off the bench.
Saddiq Bey should be the beneficiary of increased reps if Cade Cunningham is out, but otherwise the rest of the Pistons are pretty much a crapshoot and you should probably stay away.
How to watch Pistons vs. Magic
The game in Orlando will tip off at 7:00 PM ET and you can watch on Bally Sports Detroit or on NBA TV for a rare nationally televised game. You can also listen on 97.1 FM the Ticket.