Back-to-back losses have moved the Detroit Pistons back into the No. 15 spot in the Eastern Conference, but the team gets a matchup with another struggling squad on Sunday.
The Pistons will host the Los Angeles Lakers, who have lost three straight games to put them at 10-15 on the season. Los Angeles fell short in overtime against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
Both of these teams have struggled on the offensive end this season ranking 23rd (Los Angeles) and 26th (Detroit) in offensive rating. Yet, the total in this game is all the way up at 233.5, partially because the Lakers play at the fastest pace in the NBA.
With Cade Cunningham still out of the lineup, the Pistons don’t look like a playoff contender this season, but they may be able to hang around with the Lakers.
Here are the latest betting odds and a pick for this matchup:
Lakers vs. Pistons Odds, Spread and Total
Lakers vs. Pistons Prediction and Pick
Detroit’s last two losses haven’t been bad at all, losing to the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans who are the two top teams in the Western Conference heading into Sunday’s action.
This is the 12th time this season that the Pistons will be an underdog at home, and the team is 5-5-1 against the spread in that spot so far. The Pistons are losing games by an average of 7.7 points when set as home dogs, which isn’t a good sign if they want to cover this spread on Sunday.
Los Angeles has been favored on the road just one other team this season, covering the spread in that matchup.
The Lakers beat the Pistons by seven points in Los Angeles earlier this season, and with Anthony Davis playing some of his best basketball of his career as of late, I wouldn’t be shocked if Los Angeles puts on a repeat performance.
The Pistons rank 29th in the NBA in defensive rating this season, and they lack the size and experience to deal with Davis and LeBron James at the rim.
With Cunningham out, the Pistons’ offense isn’t nearly as dangerous. If the Lakers can push the pace like they have all season, they should get plenty of easy baskets against this defense.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.