The Detroit Pistons have lost 15 of their last 16 games. The lone win was against the Miami Heat, who they face Thursday night.
Granted, the Heat are ripped apart due to injuries and health and safety protocols, but they are still a tough team nonetheless. It was a surprise on the NBA odds.
Outside of that loss against the Pistons, the Heat have been on a tear. They have won five of their last seven despite all the adversity. With that in mind, let’s take a look at this NBA betting preview
Game: Detroit Pistons (5-25) at Miami Heat (19-13)
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
Day/Time: Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Television: BSSUN
Detroit Pistons at Miami Heat
Pistons Stopping the Continued Bleeding?
Rookie Cade Cunningham is currently listed as out on the injury report (protocol), so he won’t be stepping onto the court for the Pistons here.
He has been one of their best players, so and this just means that Jerami Grant will need to have a bigger role than usual. Grant leads the team in scoring (20.1 ppg) to to along with 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
Saddiq Bey is also an interesting player on the roster. He has averaged 13.4 points in a role that doesn’t see him dribbling all that much.
The only other players scoring in double digits a game are Kelly Olynyk (sprained knee) and Frank Jackson. Olynyk isn’t expected to make it onto the court and Jackson is listed as questionable.
With all of those guys potentially out, it might be really hard to generate consistent offense. Careful with the Pistons if you bet online.
Depth of Roster Helping Heat
The Heat’s injury report mentions the absence of Jimmy Butler (tailbone), P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris and potentially Caleb Martin. Other guys like Victor Oladipo (quad) and Bam Adebayo (thumb) will remain out on top of that.
The good news is that Kyle Lowry is a perfect leader to take the place of Butler. The former Toronto point guard is averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game.
Tyler Herro is having a phenomenal third season, averaging 20.5 points per game. Outside of these two players, this team still has a lot of depth.
Duncan Robinson has struggled with his shot at times, but remains of the best three-point shooters in the league. Max Strus and Gabe Vincent each have led the team in scoring in the midst of all these missing players.
This is a solid team, though one that has to be more prepared for the Pistons this time around.
Revenge Game
The Heat are solid 11-points favorite in the sportsbook entering this matchup. Double-digit spreads aren’t usually easy to cash on but Miami should be up for the task.
Losing to the Pistons in their previous matchup should be a wakeup call for them. Despite missing some key pieces to their roster, they are a far more talented team, though that was also the case the last time.
Detroit is seriously struggling right now. Miami should be motivated and hungry to win this game and avenge their previous loss.
Parlay: Heat -11 (-110) and Over 205 (-110) at +$264
Pick: Over 205 (-110)
P0ick: Heat -11 (-110)
