Detroit Pistons v Orlando Magic - NBA Betting Preview and Prediction
Detroit Pistons v Orlando Magic
March 29th 2019; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
In this NBA spectacle, we will look at Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic, the two teams that sit at the edge playoff group in the Eastern Conference. The teams will face off against each other in what could prove to be the match that will decide who will end up outside the top 8 tomorrow. Mach will be played in Detroit and it will be the 4th H2H fixture between the two sides.
Detroit Pistons ended their brutal road trip which lasted 6 matches, and are now back at home where they hope they can perform better than how they did in the recent fixtures. Looking back at their last 5 fixtures, Detroit Pistons only managed to defeat Phoenix Suns (98:118), however the same cannot be said for matches against Cleveland Cavaliers (126:119), Portland Trail Blazers (117:112), Golden State Warriors (121:114) and most recently against Denver Nuggets (95:92) which Pistons lost. Due to their bad results, Pistons slipped down to 7th and could possibly end outside of the top 8 if they don't start winning soon. As it stands now, Pistons hold a 37-37 record, which puts them 0.5 games ahead of Orlando Magic, who have been playing great basketball in the last 2 weeks.
Orlando Magic finally managed to reach the top 8 with an exceptional run of 6 consecutive wins behind them. In the course of their last 6 fixtures, Orlando Magic defeated Cleveland Cavaliers (120:91), Atlanta Hawks (101:91), New Orleans Pelicans (119:96), Memphis Grizzlies (123:119)(OT), Philadelphia 76ers (119:98) and most recently Miami Heat (99:104), who fell to 9th spot in the East. Looking back at the fixture against Miami Heat, it was the home side, who dominated the first 2 quarters, which got them to a 17 point lead in the 2nd quarter. But as we were closing into the 3rd quarter, Orlando Magic woke up and started performing up to par. They did not take long to catch up to Miami and pass them in the 3rd quarter. Ever since they got the lead, Orlando managed to hold on to it and won with an impressive comeback, deservingly getting themselves to the top 8 in their conference. All in all, there is not much to say about Orlando Magic, except that they play good basketball. However, their stamina will be put to the test tonight, as they will play 3rd game in 4 nights.
Detroit Pistons have no new injuries, while Orlando Magic still remain without Bamba and Isaiah Briscoe alongside Fultz and Mozgov who have been sidelined since November and October.
Despite the disastrous form of Pistons, who won only once in the last 5, they did not play terrible, or at least not as bad as their record might suggest. In fact, they have managed to cover 4 out of their last 5 games. Also, we need to give them some slack as they had to endure a brutal schedule, which did take a toll on their players' stamina. This might seem like it would put the Detroit Pistons in a huge disadvantage, but we need to consider the fact that Magic as well had to endure a tight schedule. Tonight's match will be their 3rd in the last 4 nights, so some degree of fatigue is expected on the away side as well. All in all, we cannot expect too much energy in this match, which in other words mean we won't be looking at high numbers on the board. Expect a slow paced match which should end in low 200s.
Prediction: Under 207.00 points