Miami Heat vs Detroit Pistons Odds, Spread, and Totals
The Miami Heat will take on the Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. EST on Thursday. The Eastern Conference rivals have already played once this year, with the Heat scraping by…
The Miami Heat will take on the Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. EST on Thursday. The Eastern Conference rivals have already played once this year, with the Heat scraping by in what turned into an absolute shootout with a 138-135 victory. Miami has won its last three games, and keeping things rolling against the current first seed in the East would be a massive feather in the hat of head coach Erik Spoelstra. On the other hand, the Pistons just broke a two-game losing streak with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers and will look to maintain momentum against a pesky Heat squad.
Unlike the Miami teams of years past, this season's iteration has seen high-scoring game after high-scoring game. Over the aforementioned win streak, the Heat have posted scores of 126, 142, and 147, absolutely ridiculous numbers considering the lack of a top-level scorer on the roster. The Heat also achieved those numbers without guard Tyler Herro, perhaps their best offensive player. Doing something similar against a tenacious defensive team like Detroit will be a tough task, but Miami has shown the capability to make it happen against anyone.
Scoring a win against the Lakers was a critical ending point in Detroit's West Coast road trip. The Pistons inexplicably lost back-to-back games to the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers, teams that are far less talented than they are. Playing the way they did against those teams against the Heat would almost certainly result in another defeat, which can hardly be afforded considering the fact that there are games with the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks directly following Thursday's matchup.
Spread
- Heat unavailable
- Pistons unavailable
Money line
- Heat +194
- Pistons -233
Total
- Over unavailable
- Under unavailable
Heat vs Pistons Betting Trends
- The Heat are one of the best teams in the NBA ATS, going 19-14.
- The Heat are 13-8 ATS when they play Eastern Conference opponents.
- The under is 17-16 in Miami's games.
- The Pistons are 18-15 ATS, making them another one of the better teams in the league against the spread.
- The Pistons are 6-5 ATS when they enter the game as home favorites.
- The over is 17-15-1 in Detroit's games.
Heat vs Pistons Injury Reports
Miami Heat
- Tyler Herro, G - Out.
- Pelle Larsson, G - Questionable.
Detroit Pistons
- Caris LeVert, G - Questionable.
- Tobias Harris, F - Questionable.
Heat vs Pistons Prediction and Pick
The status of LeVert and Harris looms large in this game. Without them, Detroit's scoring punch takes a significant hit, seeing as they combine to average 22.1 points per game. Finding a way to fill those points is massively important, especially because the Heat have already proven that they can outscore a fully healthy Detroit team. However, it is important to note that this game already contains some key differences between that game and this one. Detroit center Jalen Duren did not play in the first meeting between these squads, and Herro did. The addition of Duren should help the Pistons staunch an effective Miami attack, which should help them win and cover on their home floor.
