The Detroit Pistons will host the young Philadelphia 76ers on Monday evening to kickstart Week 2 of the NBA season. The first week brought quite different looks for two teams, as the Pistons won 2 games and the Sixers none. The Detroit Pistons currently hold a 2-1 record having defeated the Knicks and the Hornets, while losing to the Wizards. On the other side, the Philadelphia 76ers are still winless with a 0-3 record, losing to the Raptors, Celtics, and the Wizards. Last season, these two teams met 4 times, with the Pistons coming out victorious three times. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET at the Little Ceasers Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
76ers at Pistons
Spread: Detroit -3.5 (-113) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 214 (-110)
Philadelphia no match for the top Eastern teams
Well, the Process is not finished yet. The Sixers youngs proved that they still aren’t anywhere near the top-level talent and lost to Washington, Boston and most recently, to Toronto. The last defeat was the most troubling, as the Sixers showed no competitive spirit and were blown out quickly. Individually, Ben Simmons is showing that he’s ready to play. Embiid is still an injury risk and was spared the trouble in Toronto. Fultz is way behind compared to his other high pick draftees and doesn’t look comfortable on the court, at all. The trio should pick up the pieces quickly as it’s one thing to lose deliberately, and another to promise something else to their fans and then disappoint them.
There’s not much to take away from the game against the Raptors. After being tied at 15-15, the Sixers played terrible few minutes and quickly found themselves in a 19-36 hole. Their backcourt was really inferior to the Raptors. They battled back to close down the deficit to 9 points in the first half, but that was it. Toronto led by 26 points with four minutes to play in the third quarter, effectively ending the game.
Philadelphia was playing its third game in four nights and They looked every bit like a tired, young team still getting its feet with at live NBA speed, committing a rash of turnovers and fouls that turned the game into a marathon.
Place: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Date/Time: Monday, October 23th, 2017. 7:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: FSD, NBCSP
Active Harris leads Pistons to away victory
The Detroit Pistons came from 21 down to beat Knicks in Madison Square Garden, so they ought to feel good about their competitive spirit and resilience. The win propelled the Pistons to a 2-1 record with the next two game being played at their new home, so they could be looking at the best start in years. Heck, they could have had a perfect start if not for the awful officiating in the last minutes of the Washington loss.
Still, it’s hard to escape the impression that the Pistons are escaping with a lot of inconsistency in their game. The Pistons trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter against the Wizards and by 13 points at the half against the poor Knicks team. They rallied both times, but good teams don’t leave it late. There are plenty of good impressions as well. Tobias Harris is finally getting acknowledged for his performances and is leading the team in this young season. Drummond has connected on all 6 free throws he took this season. The Pistons are scrappy on defense and willing to put in much better effort that at most games last year. It’s a new beginning, but I believe this also has something to do with Avery Bradley, whose contribution to a team goes far beyond the game time.
Detroit gets to play Philly and Minny at home before traveling to the Pacific coast. Interestingly, they get a first-ever close up look at Joel Embiid, as the Sixers center missed all games against the Pistons last year.
Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons Game Trends & Prediction
The Sixers lost all of their 3 games in Week 1 but managed to cover in one (against the Wizards), so they come in the game with 1-2 ATS score. Sure, the opponents were formidable, Embiid didn’t play in the last game, but the stocks are going to plummet quickly. They are also a 2-1 against the over/under, giving up 120+ points twice already.
The Detroit Pistons were perfect for their backers in the first week of the season. They covered all three times, albeit with a tiny average distance to the set spread. Two of the game ended in overs, the last two, making a start of another short trend.
A unique ranking system – AdmiRank helps you understand how good NBA teams are on a scale to 100. The teams are heading in different directions. The excitement over the Sixers potential drove their ranking up, but it’s placing them out of the picture now. The Pistons have done what they were supposed to do, so they get to stick with the NBA average.
The Sixers haven’t fared well against the Pistons in the last couple of seasons, covering only once in 7 games. That ATS win also marked the only meeting between the two sides when the Pistons failed to reach 100 points.
This game will more accurately measure the progress of the Sixers, and also might be one of the last chances to have them overrated. The books are still finding excuses for this team, and they set a manageable 3.5-point handicap against the Pistons. Take the jolly here. They are not impressive, but are steady enough, and a game at home, against a overwhelmed opponent, that’s how the money’s earned. The books have also gifted us another perfect opportunity to bet on the unders by setting a high line of 214. Neither of these two teams plays at a frantic pace and launch a relatively low number of three-pointers. After two straight games where defensive lapses got them into trouble, the Pistons will hopefully be more disciplined and not allow Sixers to enjoy their day early on. Take the under and the home side, for another double profit.
My Pick: Detroit -3.5 (-113)
Total: under 214 points (-110)
