Detroit Pistons at Los Angeles Lakers Odds & Predictions

Detroit Pistons (4-15 SU, 9-10 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10-11 SU, 7-14 ATS)
When: Sunday November 28 2021, 09:30 PM (ET)
Where: Staples Center: Los Angeles, California
TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Point Spread: DET 10.0/LAL -10.0 (Opened at -10 at BetOnline)
Total: 216.5 (Opened at 216.5)
Money Line: Detroit +413/Los Angeles -570)
Power Rating: LAL -13

Probable Starting Lineups

Pistons: PG Corey Joseph, SG Cade Cunningham, SF Saddiq Bey, PF Jerami Grant, C Isiah Stewart
Lakers: PG Russell Westbrook, SG Avery Bradley, SF Makik Monk, PF Lebron James, C Anthony Davis

Key Injuries

Pistons Killian Hayes: thumb (QUESTIONABLE) Isaiah Livers: foot (QUESTIONABLE) Kelly Olynyk: knee (QUESTIONABLE) Chris Smith: knee (OUT)

Lakers Trevor Ariza: ankle (QUESTIONABLE) Kendrick Nunn: ankle (OUT) Austin Reaves: hamstring (QUESTIONABLE)

Recent Form

The Detroit Pistons enter today’s game, having lost five straight games. As of late, the Pistons have struggled to pick up wins, having won just 3 of their past ten contests. The Pistons travel to Los Angeles with a negative plus-minus of rating -11.7 points as the road team.

Overall, the Pistons are ranked 28th among NBA teams in point differential (-4.5). Among NBA teams, they have played the 14th toughest schedule.

For bettors, taking the Detroit Pistons to cover the spread has been a losing bet as they are covering the spread in 47.40% of their games. Their season-long plus-minus against the spread is -2.4.

On offense, the team’s leading scorer is SF Jerami Grant. So far, Grant is averaging 19.06 points per game, placing him 7th among small forwards. The Pistons’ best three-point shooter has been Saddiq Bey, connecting on 1.95 shots from downtown per game. Isaiah Stewart has been in charge of cleaning up the glass, hauling in 7.35 boards per game.

The Los Angeles Lakers enter today’s game, winning 4 of their past ten games. When playing at home, the Lakers are an above .500 team, having gone 7-6. On the season, they have played the 30th toughest schedule. The Lakers have a negative hoe plus-minus of -1.9 points when hosting their opponents. Overall the Lakers are ranked 24th among NBA teams in point differential (2.1).

For bettors, taking the Los Angeles Lakers to cover the spread has been a losing bet as they are covering the spread in 33.30% of their games. Their season-long plus-minus against the spread is -5.1.

On offense, the team’s leading scorer is PF Anthony Davis. So far, Davis is averaging 24.25 points per game. Davis has also been the team’s top rebounder, grabbing 10.15 boards per game. The Lakers’ best three-point shooter has been Carmelo Anthony, connecting on 2.9 shots from downtown per game.

An Eye On Pace

A key matchup to watch in this game is how the Pistons will respond to the Laker’s up-tempo style of play. Last year, Los Angeles finished the season near the bottom of the league in possessions per game. However, the addition of Russell Westbrook has forced Lebron James and company to play faster. Although this has yet to improve the team’s win percentage dramatically, it has helped them rank 5th in the NBA, scoring at 111.4 points per game. On the other side, Detroit might benefit from the additional possessions as they are scoring just 98.6 points per contest.

Offense And Defense Keys To The Game

Even though the Lakers are one of the league’s best offensive units, they have really struggled when it comes to defense. So far, LA is giving up 114.5 points per game, 29th in the NBA. On the season, opponents are scoring at an above-average rate both inside and beyond the arc. A lot of this can be attributed to a lack of continuity from last year’s roster, but this could be a continuing problem throughout the season. Luckily, this should not cost them in this game, as Detroit is the 30th ranked three-point shooting team and 27th in two-point field goal percentage.

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The Historicals

It is not often that a game between the Pistons and Lakers is of major note. These two teams played just one week ago, resulting in a 121-116 Lakers win. However, the big storyline came from the scuffle between Isiah Stewart and everyone else on the court. This incident in Detroit resulted in Lebron James being suspended for one game and two for Stewart.

How the Public is Betting the Suns vs. Nets

71% are betting the Pistons against the spread.
69% are wagering on the game to go over the posted total of 216.5

Betting Trends Worth Noting

Pistons are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games following a straight-up loss. Pistons are 4-1 ATS in their last five games playing on one day’s rest. Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall. Lakers are 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games as a home favorite.

Joe’s Pick To Cover The Spread

With the point spread coming with the Lakers as 10.5 point favorites and the public heavily betting on the Pistons to keep this in reach, I’m going the other direction. Even though both Lebron James and Isiah Stewart have publicly stated there is no bad blood between the two, I expect James to come out and play one of his best games of the season. So far, the issue with this Lakers team has been their defense. And if there is one team made for LA to play against, it’s Detroit. On the season, the Pistons have yet to find any traction on offense. Look for a Lakers victory that covers this point spread.

Prop Bets Worth Wagering

My favorite prop bet of the night will be for Lebron James to take Lebron James over his point total. It never hurts to have James a little extra motivated for a regular-season game. There is no one on the Pistons roster with the experience and defensive skills to hang with James for the entire game.