by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Feb 24, 2023
Time: Noon ET
Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Where to watch: BSDET, TSN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Odds not yet available
FanDuel: Odds not yet available
BetMGM: Odds not yet available
Caesars: Odds not yet available
Season record
Raptors: 29-31
Pistons: 15-45
The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!
Raptors - Pistons preview, prediction and analysis
Are the Toronto Raptors really going to make a run out of this? Not entirely, but I wouldn’t rule them out of it either. Toronto is on a three-game winning streak and can easily make it four should they take care of the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday.
The Raptors won their third straight game on Thursday in a 115-110 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in their first game back out of the All-Star break. Suddenly, Toronto finds itself two games below .500 with 22 games left and plenty of chances to strengthen any playoff chances.
Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 26 points, and Jakob Poeltl had 21 points and 18 rebounds t o pace the 8-man Toronto rotation. The Raptors shot 46.7 percent from the floor and was just 9 of 31 from 3-point range.
“First game was a little like getting thrown into the deep end,” said Poeltl, who was acquired near the trade deadline in a return to the Raptors from the San Antonio Spurs and grabbed a career-high in rebounds. “Every game I just feel like I’m getting more and more comfortable.”
The Raptors are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference and would currently be in the play-in round against the Atlanta Hawks. That’s a winnable game, but how winnable can you be to do it twice and get into the actual best-of-7 round? They need to start winning and this seems like a very winnable game to do so against. At least the Pistons are more winnable than a potential playoff game where you’re not the home team.
But the Pistons aren’t in any prime spot either. They’re on a three-game losing streak with their first game coming out of the break at 108-106 loss to the Orlando Magic. Wendell Carter Jr. had the game-winning tip-in at the buzzer to get the Magic the victory. That came despite the Pistons shooting better (45.7%) and from 3-point range (50%), the Pistons also turned it over 21 times.
Jaden Ivey led all scorers with 25 points in his battle with likely Rookie of the Year in Orlando forward Paolo Banchero (who had just 11 points).
“It just came down to the last possession,” said Ivey, who made 5 of 7 threes. “It could have been a different situation if I hit free throws, and I’ve just got to live with the consequences and learn from it.”
The Pistons remain in dead last in the Eastern Conference but have played two games fewer than the Houston Rockets. This will be a rough end to the season.
“We came out with a lot of energy, which is difficult to do after the All-Star break,” noted Pistons coach Dwayne Casey. “The timing, the rhythm, we did all that, except for the turnovers. Twenty-one (turnovers) for 21 points in a one-point game. We can’t gift them 21 points.”
Prediction
Detroit has shown to play tough, but Toronto has as well. This time of year, you trust the team that has playoff aspirations and something to play for. Raptors 115, Pistons
Betting trends
Raptors are 11-15 ATS on the road this season.
Raptors are 28-30 ATS off a home win the last 3 seasons.
Pistons are 4-10 ATS against Atlantic opponents this season.
Pistons are 14-28 ATS revenging a loss this season.
Projected starting lineup
Raptors:
PG: Malachi Flynn
SG: Gary Trent Jr.
SF: O.G. Anunoby
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Pascal Siakam
Pistons:
PG: Killian Hayes
SG: Jaden Ivey
SF: Bojan Bogdanovic
PF: Isaiah Stewart
C: James Wiseman
Injury report
Raptors: Fred VanVleet (personal, out)
Pistons: Jalen Duren (out), Nerlens Noel (personal, out), Marvin Bagley (hand, probable)
Statistical leaders
Raptors:
Points: Pascal Siakam -- 25.3
Rebounds: Pascal Siakam -- 7.7
Assists: Fred VanVleet -- 6.6
Pistons:
Points: Bojan Bogdanovic -- 21.5
Rebounds: Jalen Duren -- 8.7
Assists: Killian Hayes -- 5.8
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Toronto Raptors - Detroit Pistons prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
