Rasheed Returns to Detroit – Celtics vs. Pistons
Boston Celtics (27-12 SU, 17-22 ATS) at Detroit Pistons (14-26 SU, 18-21-1 ATS)
Wednesday, January 20 — 7:30 PM ET
BetUS NBA Basketball Sports Betting Odds: BOSTON -5.5, Total 187
Here are some of the basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
BOS has lost four of its last six games SU
BOS has covered two of its last six games
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BOS has played six of its last nine games OVER the total
BOS has played four of its last five road games OVER the total
DET has lost 14 of its last 17 games SU
DET has won three of its last four games SU
DET has covered four of its last 17 games
DET has played five of its last eight games OVER the total
DET has lost five of its last seven home games SU
DET has covered two of its last seven home games
The Celtics actually have a better record on the road than they do at home, winning 16 out of 21 straight-up (although the record against the NBA betting odds is only 11-10 ATS). Even though they have not been as stingy on defense as they have in the last couple of seasons (allowing 44.5%), they still have a solid defensive philosophy, which would appear to work against a Detroit team that is currently the second-lowest scoring team in the NBA (at 92.2 ppg).
The Pistons, who are tied for last place in the Central Division with the Indiana Pacers but are not far away from the eighth playoff spot in the East by any means. They certainly have not been disastrous at the Palace, with a 10-9 record, both straight-up and against the spread. After a streak of 13 consecutive losses, ten of which were by double digits, Detroit went on a three-game winning streak before losing a playback game at the Garden against the Knicks, who they had just beaten at the palace.
Now the head-to-head NBA basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
BOS has covered four of the last five meetings
Four of the last five meetings have gone UNDER the total
BOS has won five of the last six meetings SU as the road team 
BOS has covered eight of the last nine meetings as the road team
Eight of the last nine meetings in Auburn Hills have gone UNDER the total
BOS has had the shooting edge in five of the last six meetings
BOS has had the rebounding edge in each of the last nine meetings
DET has made more three-pointers in five of the last seven meetings
Boston and Detroit have been undergoing injury problems, but it is the Pistons that are being hit with a little more uncertainty right now. Detroit has Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon listed as game-time decisions here, and Will Bynum is out. Boston will be missing Kevin Garnett, which leaves something of a hole in their defense, while Rasheed Wallace will come back to the Palace as a visiting player for the first time since leaving the Pistons.
Wallace returned to the lineup after a three-game absence on Monday against Dallas and scored eleven points. The Celtics have been shooting well, even as they have been missing people, hitting 50% or better in four of their last five games.
The Pistons, as mentioned, are not far out of the playoff picture, and this is a golden opportunity for them, as they have six consecutive games coming up at the Palace. If they are going to continue making a move, this is the time to do it, but are they in a position to do so?
Ben Wallace, who was kind of written off last season, is the starting center, averaging almost ten rebounds a game. But he is not an offensive force, and if Detroit isn’t going to have a guy like Gordon, and the guards like Rip Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey are going to continue making a low percentage of their attempts (Hamilton is 39%, while Stuckey is less than 41%), that does not leave many reliable offensive options.
Boston has not had a problem at Auburn Hills lately, covering on eight of the last nine trips there. Detroit, which has allowed 50 points or more in the first half in nine of its last 14 games, may have to play catch-up. It doesn’t work for them. We’re laying the points with the Celtics, the 5.5-point favorite in the BetUS NBA odds.
OUR PLAY: BOSTON -5.5 ***
