Changing of the Guard – Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers

When the Detroit Pistons traded away Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, both The Answer and the Pistons thought they’d be seeing the Lakers in the NBA Finals. While their offense had a short boost in the interim, they’ve fallen to an average of 94.1 points per game. And their marquee defense has taken a serious hit without Billups’ leadership, giving up 94.6 points per game after being in the top-3 for the better part of the decade.

Nowadays, Allen Iverson isn’t even playing, being replaced by the guy that Detroit will eventually hand its reigns to permanently. Rodney Stuckey has done a fine job as a step-in, but is still raw and is prone to his mistakes. With Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace both nursing slight lower-body injuries, do the Pistons even stand a chance against the formidable Lakers?

NBA Betting Trends

-LA Lakers are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games

-The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Lakers last 5 games

-LA Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on the road

-LA Lakers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games on the road

-Detroit is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games

-Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games

-The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit’s last 5 games

-Detroit is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 games at home

-Detroit is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games at home

Detroit is just 1-4 SU in their last 5 games, losing to the likes of Chicago, Miami, Houston and Dallas. Their only win is an 18-point victory against – gasp! – the Clippers. With Kobe and the Lakers on a three-game win streak, with a narrow loss to Andre Igoudala and the Sixers in hand, it’s tough to imagine the Lakers losing on the road. You can virtually guarantee that neither Prince nor Hamilton will be able to shut Kobe down, especially with all this LeBron MVP chatter circling the NBA betting waters.

LA Lakers (56-14) vs. Detroit Pistons (34-36)

Thursday, March 26th — Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit — 7:30pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Los Angeles -7.5 (194)

If you wash the Clippers game out of the mix, the Pistons have averaged just 97.25 points per game, while the Lakers are scoring well over 100-points per. With a lack of experience in the front court, and Kobe destroying the backcourt, not only will the Lakers push the OVER, they’ll also cover the spread.

Joe Dumars made a fatal mistake by trading Chauncey Billups, and is getting zero value from the trade even now as A.I. rides the injury reserve. Look for the Lakers to show the Pistons what a real championship team looks like as they dominate both ends of the floor in a scoring melee.

NBA Free Pick: LA Lakers -7.5 (OVER)