Two of the NBA’s worst teams square off tonight as the Rockets host the Pistons. Detroit has seven straight losses while Houston has six, so at least one team’s streak of futility will come to an end this evening.
The Rockets beat the Pistons in Detroit back in January and hope for a similar result, though both squads are prioritizing youth movements behind promising young cores looking to break out next season.
This is a litmus test for both organizations – who has the edge? Here are the odds before we get into it.
Pistons vs. Rockets Odds, Spread, and Total
Pistons vs. Rockets Prediction and Picks
Detroit hasn’t had any success of late, but I still believe the Pistons are the right side in this matchup. I’m not laying four points with Houston against anyone, and there are a few reasons to believe in the visitors.
Over the last 10 games, Detroit has a superior net rating (-8.8) than Houston (-10.6) does, though both are among the five worst in the league. The true advantage lies defensively, as the Rockets are dead-last in defensive rating (124.7) during that stretch.
Houston is just 1-3 against the spread in its last four games, while Detroit has covered in two straight. The Pistons played the Thunder and Bucks close and I see the same happening tonight.
Back Detroit to keep things close and perhaps even pull off the upset. Simply put, this line is far too large for how these squads are playing.
Pick: Pistons +4.5
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.