Miami Heat vs. Detroit Pistons Prediction, Preview, and Odds
The Detroit Pistons play host to the Miami Heat in an Eastern Conference showdown from Little Caesars Arena on Friday night. These two have a much different approach as we get halfway through March, as the Heat cling to the eight-seed in the East, while the Pistons simply embrace the role of spoiler, considering how far back they sit. In two meetings this season, the Heat have won both, though with both coming by single-digits, it shows how slim the margin can be in the NBA. Despite a great slate of games on Friday, this certainly remains one that fans will want to make sure to tune in for.
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Heat Hanging On In East
The Miami Heat hit the road in this one and put their winning record away from home on the line. Known more their success in the postseason than the regular season, they want to finish the season strong and go into the playoffs with some momentum. They enter the weekend in eighth in the Eastern Conference and their lack of recent success has come as a surprise. They’ve lost four in a row coming into this one, with each of the last two coming at home. Even though they’ll be on the road, they know they can’t let this opportunity pass them by, especially against Detroit.
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It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Heat have struggled, considering their injury woes. Tyler Herro and Josh Richardson remain out indefinitely, while Kevin Love is unlikely to go too. The good news is that Bam Adebayo is at least probable to go.
The defense leads the way again this season for Miami and given the injuries that they’ve been dealing with, it makes sense. Their ability to slow down the pace of games has helped a ton but there are concerns surrounding their three-point defense. On the offensive end, Jimmy Butler leads the way and having Adebayo back will be crucial. Having the backcourt and frontcourt balance will make things a struggle for Detroit but they’ll still need to find a third scorer to lean on going forward.
Pistons Embracing Spoiler Role
The Pistons have had a miserable season but there’s no doubt that they’d love to play the role of spoiler for the opposition down the stretch. They have one of the worst records in not just the Eastern Conference but the NBA, which hasn’t been great for confidence. They’ve won two in a row heading into this one, plus three of the last four overall, which could change the tide as they go into the final stretch. Even at home they only have a 7-26 record, so it’s unlikely that home court advantage plays a role in this one.
The Pistons have three injuries themselves to worry about heading into this one. Cade Cunningham is the key name to watch, as the star carries a questionable designation. Ausar Thompson has already been ruled out too, leaving them without another key contributor.
Without Cunningham (22.5 ppg), the Pistons will be without their leading scorer and offense will have to come from someone else. Jaden Ivey has stepped up of late but it’s still a huge ask for this struggling offense to suddenly turn a corner in this one. Detroit’s offense is one of the worst from three-point range, so it’s unlikely they’ll even be able to capitalize on that potential advantage. Their three-point defense could be huge in this one but unless some scorers suddenly emerge, even a nice defensive performance won’t be enough.
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Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
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While Miami has struggled of late, the anticipated return of Adebayo is huge for how this one expects to go. That’ll give Miami a frontcourt presence that they’ve been missing and the balance will be too much for Detroit to overcome. The Pistons will be without their leading scorer in Cunningham anyway and given the struggles when it comes to their offense overall, it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll suddenly find an explosive offensive output in this one. Miami’s defense is stout and their ability to keep Detroit from finding success, while simultaneously leaning on Butler and Adebayo, will be enough to allow them to win and cover the spread in this one.
Prediction: Miami (-6)
Full-Game Total Pick
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This one expects to be one of the lower-scoring games on Friday’s slate and defense will drive it home. For Miami, injuries this season have made things a challenge to find consistency on the offensive end. No Herro and no Richardson, means little scoring depth on the road. Due to the injury issues, they’ve leaned heavily on the defense, which will certainly carry over into this one. For Detroit, no Cunningham’s will cut into their scoring. The under has hit in four straight for Miami and two straight for Detroit, as that trend carries over into this one.
Prediction: Under
Eric grew up surrounded by sports, whether it was spending the weekend catching games in person or on tv, or heading out to the fields to play whatever sport was in season. What started as a hobby, soon became a passion, as he became the sports editor of his high school newspaper, then wrote for his university newspaper during his undergrad years. After obtaining a degree in Sports Operations and Promotions, and spending 8 years deeply immersed in the sports world, Eric decided to take his love for analytics and predictions, and his experience, to online sports fans everywhere. James is now an integral part of our team here at StatSalt and has also been a very successful sports bettor over the years. Be sure and follow him daily.
