NBA Betting Guide for Sunday, November 21: Pistons Worth A Look As Home Dogs
Our teaser effort came up just short on Friday night as we needed just one more field goal to cash the second part of the ticket, which was the over of 221.5 points. That's essentially how it's gone of late with one lousy beat after another. We'll go back to the drawing board again on Sunday, but this time, we'll turn our attention to an underdog with the hope of getting back into the winner's circle.
Let's take a look at the matchup.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons, Moneyline, Total, and Odds
Moneyline: Lakers -290 | Pistons +235
Spread: Lakers -6.5
Total: 211
NBA Championship Odds: Lakers +1000 | Pistons +25000
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk-free for up to $1,000.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons, News, Analysis, and Picks
Things are starting to spiral out of control for the Los Angeles Lakers. And with each loss, their ora seems to dissipate when they face the opposition. First, injuries were the problem, and now questions have to be asked if this team has the right chemistry and personnel to play together as a unit.
The Lakers are currently on a three-game losing streak, and they're a woeful 6-11 against the spread (ATS). Yet, despite their poor form, they're currently listed as a 6.5-point road favorite against the Pistons. While you might not fancy Detroit given its 4-11 start, the team's looked much better of late as it's 3-3 straight up in its last six games and 4-3 ATS in its previous seven games.
With a veteran team like the Lakers, I think there's always a potential that the motivation might not always be there when they play against lesser teams. The data fully supports this assertion as Los Angeles is 1-7-1 ATS in its last nine games when facing a team with a winning percentage that's below .400.
Furthermore, the Pistons have shown a propensity to bounce back following an outright loss this season as they're on a 4-0 ATS run in this spot.
Lastly, if we focus on the head-to-head matchup, playing on the road in Detroit has been a bit of a bugaboo for the Lakers as they've failed to cover their last five games in this spot.
But if I'm being honest, I don't love the current number getting the 6.5 points with the home dog. Instead, I'll look to buy that up to +7.5 at -128 odds. With this game tipping off at 6:00 PM ET, Detroit could catch the Lakers a little bit by surprise given the earlier start time.
Pick: Pistons 7.5 (-128)
