Bulls vs Pistons NBA Free Pick
The Bulls (5-1) have won 4 straight games and they have beaten the Pistons 11 straight times and are the betting favorite in this away game.
Venue/ Stadium: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
Time/Date: 7:30 PM EST Wednesday, January 4, 2012
NCAA Odds From: Bovada
Moneyline: OFF
Spread (ATS): Bulls -6.5
Over/Under: 182
Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons Preview
This is a tough match up for the Pistons, as they only rank 27th in the league in scoring and will be facing a Bulls’ defense that ranks 2nd in the league in opponents points allowed. NBA lines have the Bulls as 6.5-point away favorites in this Central Division match up with a total of 182.
In their last games the Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 89-78 and the Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks 76-74.
This season the Pistons are 2-3 ATS with an O/U record of 2-3 and the Bulls are 3-3 ATS with an O/U record of 2-4.
The Bulls must play good D like they did against the Magic holding them to only 78 points. While the Bulls did win this last game they only scored 76 points and only shot 33% from the field.
The Bulls are led by MVP Derrick Rose and while he will get his points the Pistons cannot allow Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng from having big scoring games.
Ex-Chicago G Ben Gordon is the leading scorer for the Pistons and must play well. Detroit is not a one-man show, as they must win as a team with 6 players averaging in double figures. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Pistons do not have much inside offense and they will need scoring from C Greg Monroe so the Bulls do not stack the perimeter.
Monroe and defensive specialist Ben Wallace also must body up on Boozer and Joakim Noah and not allow these 2 to dominate the boards, especially on the offensive end of the court.
Rose has played in 10 of the last 11 wins over Detroit and in those 10 games the Bulls have averaged over 100 ppg while the Pistons have only averaged 91.3 ppg.
Betting Trends
The Bulls are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall, 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS loss, and they have an Under record of 5-2 in their last 7 games.
The Pistons are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 home games, 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record, and they have an Under record of 5-2 in their last 7 games.
The home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 games between these 2 Central Division rivals.
Jason’s Pick: The Bulls have had the Pistons number for the last few seasons, but in the last 5 games in Detroit the Pistons only lose one by double digits. I think this will be a low scoring defensive game and while the Pistons may not win they will cover the 6.5-point spread. Take the Under as well, as I think 182.5 is still pretty high for these 2 defensive minded teams.
