The Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons face off in a matinee NBA battle on Saturday. Houston is 9-20 this season, though the Rockets have been playing better as of late with an 8-4 record in its last 12 contests. Detroit is 4-23 and looking to stop a 13-game losing streak. Jerami Grant (thumb) and Kelly Olynyk (knee) are out for Detroit. Jalen Green (hamstring), Danuel House (ankle) and Kevin Porter Jr. (thigh) are out for Houston, with Christian Wood (knee) and Armani Brooks (ankle) listed as questionable.
Tip-off is at 12 p.m. ET in Detroit. The Pistons are listed as 1.5-point home favorites, while the Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 215 in the latest Rockets vs. Pistons odds. Before you make any Pistons vs. Rockets picks or NBA predictions, you need to see what SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 9 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 44-20 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning over $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Rockets vs. Pistons, and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Rockets vs. Pistons:
- Rockets vs. Pistons spread: Pistons -1.5
- Rockets vs. Pistons over-under: 215 points
- Rockets vs. Pistons money line: Detroit -120, Houston +100
- HOU: The Rockets are 8-6-1 against the spread in road games
- DET: The Pistons are 6-7 against the spread in home games
Why the Rockets can cover
Houston is facing a Detroit team that is struggling mightily on offense. The Pistons are No. 29 in the NBA in offensive rating, with the No. 29 mark in shooting efficiency and assists for the full season. The Rockets are above-average in protecting the rim with 5.0 blocked shots per game, and Houston is allowing only 23 assists per game to opponents.
On the opposite end, the Rockets are facing a Pistons team that is dead-last in the NBA in field goal percentage defense, and Houston is No. 1 in the NBA in free throw attempts (24.4 per game). The Rockets also rank near the top of the league in second-chance points (14.6 per game) and points in the paint (48.1 per game). Houston has been especially dominant on offense in the last 12 games, scoring 116.2 points per game and racking up a 67.9 percent assist rate. The Rockets are also producing an elite true shooting percentage (59.9 percent) and securing more than 30 percent of missed shots on the offensive glass.
Why the Pistons can cover
Detroit is led by No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham. The talented rookie is scoring 22.1 points and securing 5.6 rebounds per game in the last seven contests, shooting 50 percent from three-point range over that sample. As a team, the Pistons are in the top eight of the NBA in free throw volume (21.6 attempts per game) and free throw accuracy (79.1 percent), with the Rockets entering with the second-worst defensive free throw rate in the league.
Detroit also creates 15.7 turnovers per game on defense, ranking No. 4 in the NBA, and Houston commits more turnovers on offense than any other squad. The Rockets are dead-last in free throw accuracy this season, and the Pistons are above-average in three-pointers allowed (11.8 per game), steals (8.1 per game) and second-chance points allowed (12.3 per game).
How to make Rockets vs. Pistons picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, with no player projected to score 19 points or more. The model also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only get the model’s Pistons vs. Rockets pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Rockets vs. Pistons? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Rockets vs. Pistons spread you need to jump on Saturday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
