Detroit (22-18) at Chicago (15-27)
When: Saturday, January 13th 2018
Where: United Center, Chicago, IL
Time: 8:05 ET | TV: FS Detroit, WGN
Opening Odds: Chicago -1/207
Open an Account at Bovada Sportsbook Now! Sign up at Bovada.lv to get up to a $250 Deposit Bonus and to bet all the Web’s best NBA Basketball odds and props!
The Detroit Pistons look to make it a successful road trip when they visit the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night at the United Center. The Pistons ended a long road losing streak in impressive fashion with a 114-80 thrashing of the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday and will try to make it back-to-back road wins when they finish a three-game trip on Saturday. The Pistons dropped five in a row on the road before throttling the Nets, including a 112-109 loss at New Orleans to begin the current trip. The key in Wednesday’s victory was on the defensive end, where Detroit limited Brooklyn to 36.5% shooting from the floor, forced 20 turnovers and allowed just 26 points in the paint. The Bulls are also coming off a road win in New York on Wednesday with a 122-119 double-overtime victory over the New York Knicks. The victory was just the second in the last seven games for Chicago, which is struggling at the defensive end, allowing an average of 120.9 points in those seven contests. Oddly enough, this is the first meeting this season between the Central Division rivals, as the home team took each of the four meetings in 2016-17, with Chicago taking its two by an average of 26.5 points.
Bet on basketball at Bovada and get a 50% bonus.
Detroit center Andre Drummond scored 22 points and collected 20 rebounds in Wednesday’s win, but his defense was the more impressive factor in the victory according to his teammates. Helping Drummond on the offensive end is small forward Tobias Harris, who is averaging 24.7 points over the last three games while going 8-of-15 from beyond the arc. Backup point guard Dwight Buycks is averaging 13.2 points in five games this month after totaling four points in the team’s first 35 games and had a team-leading +24 rating against the Nets. The big offensive output was a bit of a surprise for a Pistons team that ranks 25th in scoring (102.2) despite being the second-best 3-point shooting team in the league (38.0).
[ad id=’52352′]
Chicago, which ranks 29th in field goal percentage (43.9), will get a boost on Saturday with the return of Zach LaVine, who is expected to make his team and season debut after recovering from ACL surgery. LaVine will be joining an offense that is being led by rookie forward Lauri Markkanen, who scored a season-high 33 points in the win at New York while knocking down eight 3-pointers and adding 10 rebounds. Power forward Nikola Mirotic, who leads the team in points (17.4), is slated to play after missing the last two games with an illness. The Bulls will continue their three-game homestand with Miami on Monday, followed by Golden State on Wednesday.
NBA SCORES – ODDS – PUBLIC PLAYS
I have to take a healthier Pistons team in this one. LaVine’s minutes will probably be limited in the early going and Mirotic might not be 100%. Detroit hasn’t played well on the road lately, but maybe the victory over the Nets will get them going.
Pick: Pistons +1
- Pistons are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 Saturday games.
- Pistons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.
- Pistons are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 vs. NBA Central.
- Pistons are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Pistons are 21-10-1 ATS in their last 32 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Pistons are 20-43 ATS in their last 63 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
- Pistons are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record.
- Pistons are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 vs. Eastern Conference.
- Pistons are 3-11-1 ATS in their last 15 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.
- Pistons are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.
- Bulls are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
- Bulls are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up win.
- Bulls are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. NBA Central.
- Bulls are 11-3-1 ATS in their last 15 games following a ATS win.
- Bulls are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Bulls are 15-5 ATS in their last 20 games overall.
- Bulls are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Bulls are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games.
- Bulls are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Bulls are 15-7 ATS in their last 22 games playing on 2 days rest.
- Bulls are 35-17 ATS in their last 52 vs. Eastern Conference.
- Bulls are 18-37 ATS in their last 55 Saturday games.
- Bulls are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
- Under is 5-0-1 in Pistons last 6 vs. NBA Central.
- Under is 4-1 in Pistons last 5 Saturday games.
- Under is 4-1 in Pistons last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.
- Under is 4-1 in Pistons last 5 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Under is 13-4-1 in Pistons last 18 road games.
- Under is 19-7-1 in Pistons last 27 overall.
- Under is 8-3 in Pistons last 11 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
- Over is 5-2 in Pistons last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.
- Under is 37-17-1 in Pistons last 55 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Under is 33-16-2 in Pistons last 51 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Over is 4-0 in Bulls last 4 home games.
- Over is 7-1 in Bulls last 8 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Over is 6-1 in Bulls last 7 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Over is 6-1 in Bulls last 7 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
- Over is 5-1 in Bulls last 6 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Over is 13-3 in Bulls last 16 overall.
- Over is 4-1 in Bulls last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.
- Over is 4-1 in Bulls last 5 vs. NBA Central.
- Over is 9-3 in Bulls last 12 games playing on 2 days rest.
- Over is 11-4 in Bulls last 15 games following a ATS win.
- Home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
- Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
- Pistons are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
- Pistons are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Chicago.
- Underdog is 14-5 ATS in the last 19 meetings.
