The Philadelphia 76ers (7-4) hit the road to take on the Detroit Pistons (10-2) in an NBA Cup matchup Friday. Tip-off from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the 76ers vs. Pistons odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Detroit leads 1-0
The Piston won 11-108 on Nov. 9 in Philadelphia as G Cade Cunningham and C Jalen Duren combined for 47 points to overcome G Tyrese Maxey’s 33 points.
The Sixers escaped with a 102-100 win over the Boston Celtics Tuesday, covering as a 2.5-point home underdog with the Under (231.5) cashing. F Justin Edwards and G Quentin Grimes combined for 40 off the bench, with Maxey adding in 21 points. The Sixers held the Celtics to just 39.1% shooting from the field.
Detroit won its eighth straight game by beating the Chicago Bulls 124-113 Wednesday as a 2.5-point home underdog with the Over (229.5) hitting. The Pistons were missing all of their regular starters, but F/C Paul Reed stepped up with 28 points while G Duncan Robinson added 23 points to help the Pistons secure the short-handed win. The Pistons forced 21 turnovers against Chicago.
76ers at Pistons odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:01 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): 76ers +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Pistons -220 (bet $220 to win $100)Against the spread (ATS): 76ers +5.5 (-110) | Pistons -5.5 (-110)Over/Under (O/U): 231.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)76ers at Pistons key injuries
76ers
G VJ Edgecombe (back) questionableC Joel Embiid (knee) outF Paul George (knee) outG Jared McCain (recovery) out
Pistons
G Cade Cunningham (hip) questionableC Jalen Duren (ankle) questionableF Tobias Harris (ankle) outG Jaden Ivey (knee) outG Marcus Sasser (hip) outF/C Isaiah Stewart (ankle) questionableF Ausar Thompson (ankle) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
76ers at Pistons picks and predictionsPrediction
Pistons 118, 76ers 112
PASS.
The Pistons are expecting Cunningham, Duren and Stewart back, as all were upgraded to questionable after missing the Chicago game. With those players, the Pistons are the much better team and will easily cover here as -220 favorites. However, no team favored so heavily is worth the risk of betting on so pass and look to the spread and/or total.
LEAN PISTONS -5.5 (-110).
Detroit’s defense has the third-best defensive rating in the league while also forcing the second-most turnovers per game (17.4) and being a top-4 paint defense as well. On the other side, the Sixers have a top-5 offense, but that offense likely won’t look top 5 here with so many key players being banged up against a stifling defense.
This is a very slight lean as this bet relies on the health of Detroit’s key players. Philly is also 4-0 ATS in its last 4 games while the Pistons are 2-2 ATS during that same span.
BET UNDER 231.5 (-115).
This likely won’t be an offensive barrage of a game just because of how injured both teams are. With other key creators for the Sixers out, look for this good Pistons defense to really key in on clogging the paint and stopping Maxey here, effectively shutting down Philly’s half-court offense.
The Under has hit in back-to-back games for the Sixers and is 3-1 in the last 4 matchups between these squads.
Keep in mind Detroit is still missing key defenders, so its defense likely won’t look as good here as it does when the team is at full health.
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