Philadelphia 76ers Travel to Detroit to Face the Pistons

Joel Embiid has led his team to the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Together with James Harden, the 76ers look like the team to beat this season. On Thursday, they’ll face the Detroit Pistons, a team that has already been eliminated from playoff contention.

This game might seem like an easy one for the 76ers. However, we’ve seen the 76ers get upset in the past.

Detroit recently had a huge win over the Atlanta Hawks, 122-101. Jeremi Grant was the leader for the Pistons in that game, putting up 21 points. They’ll look to Grant and Cade Cunningham to lead them again on Thursday night.

It’s obvious that the Pistons will come in as heavy favorites in this game, but can they cover. They’ve performed well against the spread this year.

Game Preview: Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons, March 31st

The 76ers offense has been fantastic over the last few games. At the time of writing, the 76ers have won three games in a row. In two of the three wins, their offense scored over 120 points.

Both James Harden and Joel Embiid had double-doubles in their recent win over the Clippers on the road. The Detroit defense will have their hands full as they face Philadelphia Thursday.

The Pistons’ defense allows an average of 112.20 points per game, ranking 22nd in the NBA. This puts Detroit at a massive disadvantage as they face off against the 76ers. Their offense hasn’t performed well this season either, averaging just 104.30 ppg.

The primary factor in this game isn’t whether the Pistons will win. The only thing that matters is if they’ll cover the spread. 

Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons Betting Prediction  

The last time these teams faced each other, the 76ers were only 4.5-point favorites. They easily won the game, 109-98, covering the spread without trouble. In this game, they’ll be favored by a lot more than 4.5.

We expect the 76ers will be favored by at least 9.5 points this time. Taking into account that the 76ers just beat the Clippers by 20, we think the 76ers should cover here. 

The 76ers have been better against the spread when on the road this season than at home. At the time of writing, Philadelphia is 21-14-1 against the spread on the road.

They were also able to beat the Miami Heat by seven points, one of the best defenses in the NBA. We also have to take into consideration that Jeremi Grant could be out for this game. 

Grant missed the game against New York a few days ago, which hurt the Pistons. If he’s out against the 76ers, it’ll damage the Pistons’ offense.

Because of this, we’ll take the under in this game as well. Philadelphia is 33-38-2 against the total this season, while Detroit is 36-36-2.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.