Detroit Pistons vs. Houston Rockets Odds, Analysis, NBA Betting Pick
The Detroit Pistons (32-39) will bring a two-game winning streak into Toyota Center on Thursday and try to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race as they visit the streaking Houston Rockets (57-14) as road underdogs.
The Pistons trail the Milwaukee Bucks by five games for the last playoff spot in the East, while the Rockets have won six straight contests and lead the West by four games.
NBA point spread: The Rockets opened as 11.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. Line updates and matchup report.
NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 110.8-97.0, Rockets. NBA picks on every game.
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Why the Pistons Can Cover the Spread
Detroit needs to finish the regular season strong in order to make the postseason. A playoff spot seems unlikely, but the Pistons play six of their final 10 regular-season games at home following Thursday's game in Houston. A win over the Rockets would give them a lot of confidence down the stretch, and they have gone 4-1 both straight up and against the spread in the teams' past five meetings.
In the most recent game between the teams, Detroit won 108-101 on January 6 as a six-point home underdog behind Tobias Harris' 27 points, who took advantage of MVP favorite James Harden's injury-enforced absence.
Why the Rockets Can Cover the Spread
Houston has surprisingly lost the past two home meetings in this series, but this team is playing better than any in the league and remains on pace to clinch the top seed in the West.
The Rockets have only lost one game since January 26, going 23-1 SU and 14-9-1 ATS during that stretch. Led by Harden, Houston just swept a three-game road trip, capped by a 115-111 victory Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers, who had won 13 in a row. Harden totaled 42 points, seven assists and six rebounds versus the Blazers, and he leads the NBA with 31.2 points per game.
Smart Betting Pick
Detroit has a much bigger sense of urgency to win in this spot and can lean on past success in the series to stay competitive. While the Pistons may not earn a victory on the road here, they could keep the game close enough to cover the spread. The Rockets have been rolling SU, but they will fall short of covering ATS again.
NBA Betting Trends
Detroit is 5-2 ATS in its past seven games.
Houston is 3-7 ATS in its past 10 games at home.
The total has gone under in six of Houston's past eight games.
All NBA odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.
