Pistons minus 4 minus $1.15 (BetOnLine) at Spurs
Often a team suffers a letdown in their second game after losing a superstar following winning initially. I believe that’s going to be the case with the Spurs in their game tonight against the Pistons.
San Antonio gave an inspired, gutty performance in upsetting the Suns on Thursday after learning Victor Wembanyama would be out for the rest of the season because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. All Wembanyama was doing was averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists while leading the league in blocked shots with 3.8 per game. Keep in mind, too, that Charles Bassey, who is Wembanyama’s backup, has missed the last six games with a knee injury.
Also please note that the Spurs defeated Phoenix in Austin not San Antonio. The game tonight also will be in Austin.
It takes two, though, to make the right handicap. The key question is have the Pistons improved enough this season to justify laying mid-range points with them on the road?
I’m going to say yes. The Pistons enter this matchup with a season-best four-game win streak. Their 29-26 record at this point of the season is their best mark in seven years. Only six teams have had a better record than the Pistons since Dec. 21. Detroit is 18-9 during its past 27 games, registering the fifth-best defensive rating and nine-best offensive ranking during this time span.
San Antonio, by comparison, is 24-29 and has lost 13 of its last 19 games.
The wild-card is Detroit last played nine days ago. The Pistons went into All-Star break riding a lot of confidence and optimism. I have to trust that J.B. Bickerstaff will have the Pistons ready to play to keep their momentum going.
I am 21-10-1 on my last 32 premium plays after going 2-1 on Thursday. I have won 13 of my 16 premium college basketball plays this month. If you are interested in my sports service, please email me at scriber26@gmail.com, or message me via X. All of my picks come with analysis and are emailed well ahead of game time.
Best of luck and no bad beats!
