Game Time: 2:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 13th, 2022 

Venue:  Little Caesars Arena, Detroit Michigan

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  Clippers -5; O/U 218.5

Fanduel:  Spread:  Clippers -4.5; O/U 218.5

BetMGM:  Spread: Clippers -5; O/U 218.5

Clippers: 35-34, 8th place Western Conference

Pistons: 18-49, 14th place Eastern Conference

A non-conference NBA matchup in the middle of a lazy Sunday afternoon.  The Clippers head to Detroit to pick up an easy win.  What the Clippers lack in stars at the moment they more than make up for in teamwork and hustle.  The Clippers have held the Western Conference’s eighth spot for a full month… During that time the Los Angeles Lakers have been losing and the gap between 8-9 has grown to 4.5 games.  In addition the Clippers find themselves 4 games behind the Timberwolves who are in 7th place.  So barring any insanity in the last month of the season.. It is beginning to look like the Clippers will have home court advantage for a play-in game…. The problem is that the opponent will most likely be the Lakers… Who share the same home court… and often have more visiting fans than the Clippers have home fans when the two teams play.  The Pistons on the other hand have a small group of die hard fans that are literally willing to throw punches and beers at opposing players… just not this season.  That small group of fans willing to still show up top the Little Caesars Arena have hopes of only 1 thing… the top pick in the NBA Draft… just like they had last season when they drafted Cade Cunningham.  Pistons fans are as likely to be rooting for a Pistons loss as Clippers fans.  It’s all so topsy turvy… in this environment there is only one thing to do:  Check the spread!  

The Los Angeles Clippers have won 5 of their last ten games.  They are a great betting opportunity as they play everyone tight and hard.  They have gone 7-3 ATS during the ten-game stretch.  They logged 3 Unders and 7 Overs.  Leading the charge is PG Reggie Jackson who is having his best season since 2014.  Reggie has found the right mix of scoring and defense that make him one of the best two-way players in the league.  The team recently got good news… SG Kawhi Leonard who has so far missed the entire season recovering from knee surgery is playing hard in practice… SF Paul George has a projected return in the last week of March.  There is a chance that the Clippers will get back Kawhi and Paul at the same time to see if they simply can tackle this battle tested group of Clippers and march them through the playoffs… they really are in the same position as Brooklyn…. The old story of “what if?”  What if this team that is playing everybody well… this team that has a PG running the show and strong Center play… and a great shooter Luke Kennard coming off the bench… and a really good veteran power forward in Marcus Morris Sr..?... What if that team added two First Team all NBA players at the SG and SF positions?... Could they suddenly throttle the Western Conference… It’s tantalizing and possible.

The Detroit Pistons have won 6 of their last ten games… in what is simply the best ten game stretch of Detroit’s season.  They are the best betting opportunity in the league right now!!  They have gone 10-0 ATS over their last ten games.  They have covered spreads left and right!  In two games versus Boston the Pistons covered a 12.5 spread in a loss and a 14 point spread in a loss!  In a case of “what are the books doing with these huge spreads?”  The Pistons actually played the Boston Celtics THREE times during the stretch and actually got a win outright against the C’s while obviously covering a 13 point spread.   The days of huge spreads should be coming to an end.  Rookie #1 pick point guard Cade Cunningham is coming into his own and has taken full control of the team.  He is the leader now and at least until the next top pick shows what he can do.  Since the trade deadline that landed Marvin Bagley III on the Pistons he has been installed as the starting Center. Marvin’s ppg has jumped by 5 points to 14 ppg… more minutes have resulted in more production.  SF Saddiq Bey and PF Jerami Grant are proving to be very reliable at their spots with Saddiq bringing 15 ppg, and Jerami almost 19 ppg.  If 2 of the three frontline young guys were to find the next level, the Pistons would suddenly find a winning team in their uniforms (next year of course).  PG Cory Joseph is totally out of place playing SG alongside PG Cade Cunningham… while the two point guard look does work for several teams in the league… It absolutely does not in Detroit.  Killian Hayes has sat out the last two games with a thigh contusion… but he isn’t the answer alongside Cade either… I may not know who the Pistons will draft this offseason, but it is becoming more and more apparent the positions of need are Shooting Guard… and backup Shooting Guard.  

SCORCHING-HOT! Al McMordie was 7-2 (or 6-3) yesterday, and is an AWESOME 20-5 his last 25 NBA, and 76-42 his last 118 across all sports. Now, for Saturday, Big Al's going ALL IN on his NBA Non-Conference Game of the Month. It's backed by a spectacular 16-1 ATS angle, so don't miss out....Hop on board right now! Get Big Al’s picks!   You can discover the best  picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

The Clippers are 35-34 on the season, AND 35-34 ATS.  They have logged 32 Overs, 36 Unders, and 1 Push.  The Clippers are 15-20 in road games.

The Pistons are 18-49 on the season, but 36-31 ATS.  They have been a good betting opportunity all season.  They have notched 32 Overs, 32 Unders, and 3 Push.  They are 11-22 in home games.

The Clippers are 23rd in scoring with 106.9 ppg, 20th in rebounds with 44.2 per game, and 21st in AST/TO with 1.7. They excel on defense where they rank 11th while holding opponents to 107.7 ppg.

The Pistons are 29th in scoring with 103.6 ppg, 27th in rebounds with 43.1 per game, and 26th in AST/TO ratio with 1.6. On defense they rank 23rd while allowing 112.5 ppg from opponents.

Our prediction for Sunday, March 13th is…. Clippers 110 - Pistons 109

The Clippers will be overmatched by athleticism and forced to win this one on teamwork.  The Pistons, though, will yet again cover the spread.  The Pistons have developed a real knack for pushing everybody they play.  They may have found the right young combination and are starting a renaissance of a sort.  

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The Clippers are 28-11 ATS in a road game where the total is 210-219.5.
The Pistons are 14-5 ATS  after successfully covering 7+ games in a row since 1996.
Detroit is 25-18 ATS since 1996.

Clippers: SF Paul George (elbow) Out ** SG Kawhi Leonard (knee) Out ** SF Robert Covington (personal) Out ** SG Norman Powell (foot) Out indefinitely

Pistons: PG Killian Hayes (thigh) Quest ** PF Isaiah Stewart (knee) Out ** SG Rodney McGruder (hamstring) Quest ** PG Hamidou Diallo (finger) Out

Clippers: PF Marcus Morris SR, SF Nicolas Batum, C Ivica Zubac, PG Reggie Jackson, SG Amir Coffey

Pistons: PF Jerami Grant, SF Saddiq Bey, C Marvin Bagley, PG Cade Cunningham, PG Cory Joseph

Clippers

Points: Paul George 24.7

Assists: Paul George 5.5

Rebounds: Ivica Zubac 8.3

Steals: Paul George 2.0

Blocks: Robert Covington 1.3

Pistons

Points: Jerami Grant 18.9

Assists: Cade Cunningham 5.2

Rebounds: Isaiah Stewart 8.5 

Steals: Hamidou Diallo 1.2

Blocks: Isaiah Stewart 1.1

Clippers: Tye Lue

Pistons: Dwayne Casey