The Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors are two teams headed in similar directions as they meet tonight in Little Caesar’s Arena.
Toronto has lost two in a row to drop to 7-7 after a hot start, and Detroit has lost three in a row for a 3-11 mark that is tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Like the Pistons, the Raptors have been battling injuries to key players and will be shorthanded tonight. This is Detroit’s final home game before a brutal six-game road trip, as the NBA schedulers try to bury them before the season is even a 25 percent over.
Detroit does have one thing going for them, as coach Dwane Casey is 9-3 against Toronto since becoming head coach of the Pistons, so he’ll try to keep his dominance against his former team going tonight at home.
Can Detroit get a much-needed win?
Detroit Pistons vs Toronto Raptors: Odds, Spread, Over/Under
Fanduel currently has Detroit as five point underdogs at home against Toronto, a number that would be higher if the Raptors weren’t missing so many guys.
The money lines are set at +184 for Detroit and -220 for Toronto and the over/under is a combined 220 points.
The two teams score 219 combined points on average and allow 227, so this number seems about right. But with so many players out tonight, I’m leaning towards the under, as these teams have the 17th and 28th ranked offenses overall and will be missing key scorers.
Pistons injury report: Will Cade Cunningham play?
Detroit just can’t catch a break with injuries and has still yet to play with its full complement of guys. Cade Cunningham has been ruled out for this one and will likely miss at least another game or two with what is being called shin soreness. Cory Joseph is also listed as questionable, but it appears that both Alec Burks and Marvin Bagley III will play.
Toronto will be missing Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa and Justin Champagnie and Khem Birth is listed as questionable.
Detroit Pistons vs. Toronto Raptors: Prediction
Detroit actually played decently in their last two games against the Knicks and Celtics, though, both were still losses. Bojan Bogdanovic and Killian Hayes have stepped up in Cade Cunningham’s absence and rookie Jaden Ivey had the best game of his young career.
This is just a hunch, but I think Detroit will continue their dominance over the Raptors tonight and get a much-needed win before they hit the road.
Detroit 110, Toronto 108
How to watch Pistons vs. Raptors
The game vs Toronto will tip off at 7:00 PM ET and you can watch on Bally Sports Detroit or listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket.
How to stream Pistons vs. Raptors
FUBO.TV is still offering a free trial for streaming or you can catch the game on NBA League Pass if you live out of market.
*Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.