The Portland Trail Blazers stats for any player not named Damian Lillard of late haven’t been all that impressive. But the good news is that they were able to take care of business against the Magic last night. The Thunder shellacked the Jazz twice over the weekend to make the race for the No.10 seed even more interesting.
There are four teams within a half-game of one another. And it will surely make this Trail Blazers vs Pistons prediction ever interesting. Portland absolutely needs to win this game, and a loss against a foe like Detroit could derail their hopes in more ways than one.
As for those Detroit Pistons, things have been weird this year. They traded for and extended Bojan Bogdanovic.
They opted to hang on to Cory Joseph and Alec Burks, continuing to give them rotation minutes. They drafted Jalen Duren even though they had Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley, then traded a key piece in Saddiq Bey for former No.2 pick James Wiseman. This isn’t to say Duren and Wiseman haven’t worked out, but it’s some interesting choices being made in the front office.
The game itself tonight can only be won by Detroit if they can stop Damian Lillard from having another field day.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Detroit Pistons Odds
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Detroit Pistons Information
Portland Trail Blazers vs Detroit Pistons
Location: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI.
Date and Time: Monday, March 6th at 7:00 PM ET.
How to Watch: Bally Sports Detroit
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Detroit Pistons Recent Scores
The NBA schedule has had some bumps in the road for Detroit, and they may be truly okay with it. They have lost their last seven games since knocking off the Spurs in overtime on February 10th. They have pulled off some impressive W’s this year, but this isn’t what they’re after.
They may hope to land one more big draft pick, so that when coupled with the return of Cade Cunningham next season, they have a playoff-worthy lineup. For now, they roll on.
Portland was able to snap a three-game skid with last night’s win over Orlando. The Magic are one of those NBA matchups that are a lot trickier than the record would indicate.
They have been better than .500 over the last four months, still shaking off the slow start to the season. Dame time has been here, playing some great ball. But with his running mate Anfernee Simons out, they have missed a consistent #2 option in the lineup.
Keep in mind when making the Trail Blazers vs Pistons prediction that a number of guys will be out on both sides.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Detroit Pistons Betting Analysis
Portland Trail Blazers Facts to Know
The recent up-and-down play for Portland Odds may make them hard to bet on certain evenings.
Against a tanking Pistons team that will be without some key guys for this one, though, it may be a good wager that the visitors can come away with their second victory in as many nights. Lillard dropped 71 a little over a week ago and is still trying to do something of the sort again. As long as he is able to come in and play well, they should be just fine.
As Jusuf Nurkic has continued to miss time, Drew Eubanks and Trendon Watford have been splitting the minutes in the middle, playing very different styles.
Eubanks is more of a traditional center, while Watford is more of a rim-rolling big with a bit more quickness on both ends of the floor. They did revamp the D by adding Matisse Thybulle and Cam Reddish, so they will hope to see continued strong play from those two guys.
Detroit Pistons Facts to Know
Where to even begin with the Detroit Pistons? They have too many big men at this point, but because of injuries, the minute distributions haven’t been too difficult. Wiseman has come here after being a bit of a disappointment with the Dubs and played solid basketball.
But with how Jalen Duren had been looking, it didn’t seem they would think about another big man until next season. Considering Bagley III is here, too, it gives them four big men picked in the last five draft lotteries.
While Cade has recovered from his shin injury, the team has employed Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes as the primary playmakers. Both have had some good moments, but being so young in this league has shown.
Their NBA player stats are good on some nights and pretty awful on others. Hayes is a physical young guard, though, being given every chance to succeed. His future here is far from guaranteed.
Updates
Starting with Portland, health has been a bit of a concern for them recently. Jusuf Nurkic will be set to miss his twentieth game of the year in this one.
Eubanks has been able to hold it down, but they would much prefer to have the Bosnian Beast running things from the center position. And Anfernee Simons does have a chance to return, but hurting his ankle in his first game back from the same injury has to be frustrating for them.
They have been without Justise Winslow since December 21st as he continues to prove he can’t stay on the floor. Ryan Arcidiacono is out with a back injury. And aside from that, they have everybody else available to play.
Injury Concerns for Detroit Pistons’ Bojan and Duren Ahead of Game
As for Detroit, Bojan is going to miss this game with an Achilles issue. They would hope he can play more this year, if anything, so that he can show that he possesses serious trade value this offseason. Duren is likely to miss this one as he continues to deal with an ankle issue.
Stewart is also out indefinitely with a hip injury. Hayes and Wiseman are questionable with different ailments. So we’ll see if they suit up.
The NBA team stats in this one will be interesting. Let’s finish off the Trail Blazers vs Pistons prediction.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Detroit Pistons Betting Preview
- Moneyline: Portland Trail Blazers -235, Detroit Pistons +190
- Spread: Portland Trail Blazers -5.5
- Over/Under: 232
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Detroit Pistons Betting Prediction
Spread: Portland Trail Blazers -5.5
It’s a slim to none chance that the Pistons win this game. In Portland predictions, they can get things going from beyond the arc as we’re used to seeing, there is no reason for them to not be able to win by six or more. They have better players at almost every position from their opponents.
Moneyline: Portland Trail Blazers -235
It doesn’t have the best betting value, but Portland moneyline is the way to go. The Blazers have the only bonafide star between these squads, and he’s ready to absolutely light things up from deep.
Over/Under: 232
Points galore will be had in this one. Even with solid defensive pieces, Portland gives up a ton of points. Neither side will get enough stops until Portland clamps down in the final six minutes. Ride the over, folks!
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