Pistons On Wrong Side of History in Showdown With Lakers
Lakers vs Pistons NBA Odds: LA Favored by 7.5 Points on Road
The Detroit Pistons will host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET) looking to avoid history. The Pistons have lost 14 consecutive games, one shy of their franchise record. Meanwhile the Lakers, a +500 contender to win the NBA in-season tournament, are coming off their worst loss of the season.
Los Angeles is favored by 7.5 points (-105) while the Pistons are +7.5 (-115) on the NBA spread. The projected total is 230.5 (-110 Over, -110 Under).
What should bettors expect? Read on as we break down the Lakers vs Pistons NBA odds in our game preview.
LA Lakers vs Detroit Pistons 
Day/Time:
Location: Little Caesars Arena; Detroit
Betting Trends
The Los Angeles Lakers are 7-11 against the spread, including 8-3 as a favorite. They’re also 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games against Eastern Conference opponents. Additionally, the total has gone Under in five of the Lakers’ last seven games and 11 times overall.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons are 7-10 ATS. That includes a 2-13 mark as an underdog. The total has gone Over in 10 of the Pistons’ last 15 games.
Keep that in mind when assessing the Lakers vs Pistons NBA odds.
Going From Bad to Worse
The Detroit Pistons find themselves stuck in a tailspin with seemingly no way out. They’ve tied a franchise record with 14 straight losses and own the NBA’s worst record at 2-15.
The latest loss came Monday, a 126-107 defeat to the Washington Wizards. The Pistons, favored for only the second time this season, trailed by as many as 21 and failed to cover the 2.5-point spread. Guard Cade Cunningham scored a team-high 26 points, but as usual, he didn’t get much help.
Detroit has already been eliminated from contending for the inaugural NBA in-season tournament, and that’s only the least of its concerns for the time being. The Pistons — projected for only 27.5 wins — seem to have taken another step back after going an NBA-worst 17-65 last season.
Inefficiency on offense is the Pistons’ most glaring issue. They rank 28th in 3-point percentage, 22nd in free-throw attempts and 29th in turnovers. They’re also tied for 26th in scoring. Against Washington, one of the NBA’s worst defensive teams, the Pistons shot only 8 of 38 (21.1%) on 3-pointers and 13 of 19 (68.4%) from the foul line. That’s important to remember when analyzing the Lakers vs Pistons NBA odds.
Making matters worse, the NBA schedule is due to get more difficult. Detroit’s next eight opponents are all over .500. The Pistons aren’t slated to face another sub-.500 team until Dec. 21 against Utah.
Wrong Kind of History
The Los Angeles Lakers have already advanced past group play in the NBA in-season tournament. But it doesn’t change the fact they were painfully bad in Monday’s 138-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The 44-point loss was the largest defeat of LeBron James‘ 21-year career and the fifth largest in Lakers history.
James achieved another milestone in the blowout, becoming the league’s all-time leader in minutes played. But that was of little consolation to the 19-time All-Star, who finished with a team-high 18 points across 30 minutes. The Lakers, who trailed by as many as 46 points, dropped to 3-6 on the road and 10-8 overall.
The Lakers fell to third in the Pacific Division standings, albeit just 1.5 games behind first-place Phoenix. Prior to Monday, they’d gone 7-2 over their last nine games, including a 122-119 victory over the Suns on Nov. 10. They’re also currently eighth in the NBA playoff standings.
Oddsmakers are still a bit leery of the Lakers, pricing them +550 to win the Pacific and +900 to make the NBA Finals. Whether they can cash in on those odds will largely depend on the health of their aging superstars, including James and Anthony Davis. Both continue to produce at high rates — they’re averaging 25.1 and 21.8 points, respectively — but head coach Darvin Ham will continue to closely monitor their usage as the season progresses. That could make the Lakers a volatile pick night-in, night-out. That’s an important reminder for those making NBA predictions.
Handicapping the Game
Bettors always run the risk of the Lakers scaling back their stars’ minutes. Even so, Detroit is bad enough that it might not matter. The Pistons have been outscored by an average of 11.6 points during their current losing streak. Half of the losses have come by double digits. On top of that, they’re just 4-10 ATS during that stretch.
The Pistons’ losing streak will end at some point, but it won’t be against a Lakers team eager to atone for its poor showing in Philadelphia. Los Angeles is a deserving favorite in this spot, and comfortably so.
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