After nine NBA games on Saturday, there are just five on tap on Sunday, starting with Mavericks vs. Clippers at 3:30 p.m. ET until the night cap between the Raptors and Warriors at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Our NBA analysts Matt Moore and Raheem Palmer have their eyes set on the Lakers vs. Pistons matchup at 6 p.m. ET with bets on the total and spread. Check out their analysis below.
NBA Odds & Picks
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons
Matt Moore: I have this total projected at 220. The Pistons have given up 105 or more in 8 of 15 games, and in three of their four wins, they've put up over 110. The over in Lakers games is 10-7; they are one of just five teams who have seen overs hit more often than unders in their games.
The Lakers are fifth in points off turnovers while Detroit is 29th in Points Off Turnovers Allowed per 100 possessions. The Lakers' interior defense is yogurt soft, and while Detroit doesn't have great scorers, they should be able to stay within range of 100-105.
The Lakers are 29th in opponent Free Throw Rate, and drawing fouls is one of the few strengths of Detroit, who is third in offensive Free Throw Rate.
It should be a messy game, but one where points come easy. I like the over at any number this will close at.
L.A. Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons
Raheem Palmer: No one wants to bet the Lakers right now. To put it bluntly, they stink. However, if LeBron James and Anthony Davis play, this feels like an ideal spot to back the Lakers who lost 130-108 to the Boston Celtics in the James' return Friday night.
Despite holding a 14-point first half lead, the Lakers completely collapsed only to get blown out in the second half. It's tough to imagine a similar collapse here against the Pistons who are 4-11 on the year with the league’s second worst Net Rating (-8.9), ranking 25th in Offensive Rating (99.9) and 23rd in Defensive Rating (110.5) in their non-garbage-time minutes according to Cleaning the Glass.
The Pistons allow the sixth highest frequency of field goal attempts at the rim (34.3%), which means that the Lakers are in for a big day with Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook attacking the rim. This is a Pistons team which is near the bottom at defending every area of the floor, so this is a game in which the Lakers should outclass the Pistons as they look to move to .500.
I’ll take the Lakers on the 1H spread at -3.5 and full game -7.
