The Brooklyn Nets (5-3) travel to the Little Caesars Arena to take on the Detroit Pistons (1-7) Friday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Nets at Pistons odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
This will be the second night of back-to-back home games for the Pistons. Detroit will look to give its fans a better show after it lost and failed to cover the spread in a 109-98 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday.
Detroit is led by star F Jerami Grant and No. 1 overall draft pick G Cade Cunningham. They’ll have their hands full with SF Kevin Durant and former MVP SG James Harden.
The Nets won their last three games — scoring 115 points or more in two of the three — after struggling to start the season. Preseason title favorite Brooklyn is 1-1 on the road.
Nets at Pistons odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:23 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Nets -650 (bet $650 to win $100) | Pistons +440 (bet $100 to win $440)
- Against the spread (ATS): Nets -9.5 (-110) | Pistons+9.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 211.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
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Nets at Pistons key injuries
Nets
- PG Kyrie Irving (personal) out
Pistons
- None affecting gambling odds
Nets at Pistons odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Nets 112, Pistons 98
Money line
PASS on the money line.
The Nets (-650) are clearly the better, deeper team and should come out on top, although risking more than six times your return is not good value. Look to the points instead.
Against the spread
“LEAN” to the NETS -9.5 (-110) as Detroit has just been that bad both at home and on the road.
The Pistons just haven’t been able to hold leads this season. They looked good against a short-handed Sixers in the first half; however, they scored just 32 points in the second half.
Their guards score the second-fewest points per game, their offensive rating is dead last and their defensive rating is the fifth-worst in the league.
That’s just not a team I’m willing to put anything on despite getting nearly 10 points. The Nets are surging and their best defender will be guarding Grant. Brooklyn beat Detroit by 26 in a home game just five days ago.
I’m thinking a double-digit game is in store Friday.
Over/Under
BET on the UNDER 211.5 (-107) as Detroit just can’t score.
If the Nets are up big, they should take the pedal off the gas late. Despite that, the Pistons are the only team in the NBA that shoots under 40 percent from the field — they’re extremely inefficient.
The Nets still rank in the bottom half of the league for offensive rating despite their star-studded roster. They haven’t consistently throttled opponents to the level most had hoped for.
With Detroit averaging under 93 points per game over their last 3 games, the Under feels like the better play.
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