NBA Odds: Pistons-Mavericks prediction, pick, how to watch
The Detroit Pistons (13-38) visit the Dallas Mavericks (26-25) on Monday night. Action tips off at 8:40 p.m. ET. Below we continue our NBA odds series with a Pistons-Mavericks prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Detroit has lost five of their last six games and sits in last place in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons covered 44% of their games while 58% have gone over. Dallas has lost three of their last four games and dropped to seventh place in the Western Conference. The Mavericks covered 35% of their games while 55% went over. This will be the second and final meeting between the two teams. In the first matchup, Detroit took a 131-125 home victory.
Here are the Pistons-Mavericks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Pistons-Mavericks Odds
Detroit Pistons: +8.5 (-110)
Dallas Mavericks: -8.5 (-110)
Over: 229.5 (-110)
Under: 229.5 (-110)
How To Watch Pistons vs. Mavericks
TV: Bally Detroit, Bally Southwest
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 p.m. PT
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Why The Pistons Could Cover The Spread
Despite getting the best of the Mavericks in their previous meeting, the Pistons enter tonight as sizable road underdogs. Detroit doesn’t do much well on offense aside from getting to the free throw line. The Pistons lead the league in both made free throws (21.2 FTM/Game) and attempted free throws (27.3 FTA/Game). That bodes especially well for them tonight considering the Mavericks foul at the third-highest rate in the league.
The first time these teams met, Detroit saw a lot of success when running their offense through leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic. Bojan has been exceptional this season, averaging 21.2 PPG while shooting a stellar 41% from beyond the arc. He had one of his best games of the season when the teams last met, draining five threes and shooting 10/14 overall en route to 30 points. Look for Detroit’s top option to have another big night against a Dallas defense that just gave up 29 points to Lauri Markkanen.
For as good as Bogdanovic was in their previous matchup, it was Detroit’s rebounding that led the way. The Pistons outrebounded the Mavericks 52-30 in their win as they punished a weak Dallas frontline all night long. Center Isiah Stewert was a force down low and pulled down 12 rebounds. While Marvin Bagley (19 points and 13 rebounds in the first meeting) isn’t available tonight, the emergence of Jalen Duran should give Pistons’ backers plenty of optimism tonight. The 13th overall pick from this year’s draft, Duren has really started to come on as of late. Over their last five games, Duran averaged 15 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. He should see a lot of success tonight against a Dallas team who struggles to contain opposing bigs and will be missing Christian Wood.
The X-factor for Detroit tonight is point guard Killian Hayes. The seventh-overall pick in the 2020 draft, Hayes was the catalyst in their earlier win over Dallas. He scored 22 points on 10/13 shooting and dished out eight assists in the win. Detroit’s leading passer can struggle to create his own offense at times, but he is a skilled playmaker who should generate a lot of open looks for his teammates tonight.
Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread
Although Dallas finds itself as a heavy favorite tonight, they have a number of obstacles to overcome and will need some role players to step up if they want to cover a hefty home spread. To begin with, the Mavericks are banged up right now. Big man Christian Wood has already been ruled out for tonight’s game, while star Luka Doncic is questionable and figures to be a game-time decision. That being said, the Mavericks still sit in a good position to cover tonight thanks to the potentially-strong play of their supporting cast.
With Luka a game-time decision, look for Spencer Dinwiddie to play a huge role against his former team tonight. Dinwiddie has been on an absolute tear in recent games. Across his last five appearances, he averaged 26.2 PPG and 6.4 APG. He has been especially deadly from beyond the arc where he is shooting 46% on nearly eight attempts per game. Regardless of Luka’s status, Dinwiddie will factor into tonight’s outcome. Given his recent play, that should be a good thing for Mavericks backers.
Dallas’s X-factor tonight is Tim Hardaway Jr. The streaky scorer has been cold in recent games but has a great chance to snap out of his spell against a team he torched earlier in the season. Despite the team losing to Detroit earlier this season, Hardaway was exceptional. He nailed six threes en route to 26 points.
Final Pistons-Mavericks Prediction & Pick
With Luka’s status up in the air and the domination Detroit found on the glass when they last played, I like the Pistons to keep things tight tonight.
Final Pistons-Mavericks Prediction & Pick: Detroit Pistons +8.5 (-110)
