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Charlie Grant
Toronto Raptors vs. Detroit Pistons Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
The Raptors are resting players left and right as they try and enter the playoffs as healthy as possible. They travel to Detroit on Monday for their second last game of the regular season to take on a Pistons side missing Blake Griffin.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Raptors rolled the Orlando Magic on Sunday 112-101 in their final home game of the regular season but failed to cover as 11-point chalk. Toronto finishes with a 34-7 straight up and 21-19-1 against the spread record at the ACC.
Dwane Casey’s crew has won three in a row since the mini crisis last week following back-to-back losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
Detroit lost in embarrassing fashion to the declawed Memphis Grizzlies. The Pistons allowed Memphis to score a season-high 130 points and shoot nearly 58 percent from the field along the way.
Stan Van Gundy’s squad is still 9-2 ATS in its last 11 contests and 39-39-2 ATS on the campaign. The Pistons have been eliminated from the playoffs but they don’t have own their first round draft pick, so they don’t have any incentive to lose games to help their lottery odds.
The Raptors narrowly won in overtime the last time the two teams played in Detroit but that was with Blake Griffin leading the charge for the Pistons. Griffin is out for the season with a bone bruise on his ankle.
Toronto Raptors
Toronto bettors should pay close attention to late-breaking news about which players will play and which will be held out for Monday’s NBA matchup with the Pistons. DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas both sat for rest purposes on Sunday and many Raptor beat reporters are speculating Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka will take their turn to rest on Monday.
Further complicating things: Fred VanVleet, Norm Powell and Bebe Nogueira all suffered minor injuries in Sunday’s game.
Detroit Pistons
Reggie Jackson could be joining Blake Griffin on the list of Detroit starters sitting out. The point guard didn’t play in the fourth quarter of yesterday’s loss to Memphis because of a stomach illness. Reggie Bullock, the team’s starting small forward, has missing the last two games and is out for the year because of pain in his knee.
This will be Detroit’s last game at home this season in its new arena. The Pistons close out their disappointing campaign on Wednesday night in Chicago.
