Trail Blazers vs Pistons

Cade Cunningham and the Pistons bring a 17-5 record and a run of 15 wins in their last 18 into this home spot, rebounding from a tight loss in Milwaukee to face a Portland group that just snapped a three-game skid in Cleveland but remains severely shorthanded in the backcourt with Damian Lillard out for the season and Scoot Henderson, Matisse Thybulle and Blake Wesley sidelined while Jrue Holiday is banged up. Detroit’s current core has already shown it can solve Portland’s defense—Cunningham dropped 32 in January’s 118-115 win over the Blazers—and now pairs his near 28-a-night production with Jalen Duren’s interior presence and better overall depth than a Blazers rotation leaning heavily on Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant and Shaedon Sharpe. With the Pistons 8-2 at home and Portland only 6-7 on the road, Detroit should win this matchup far more often than the underdog price would suggest, but the expensive -320 moneyline trims the value enough that this stays a Grade B recommendation rather than an all-in spot. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 05/12/2025 09:48am

Portland’s offense just erupted for 122 points in Cleveland to break a three-game losing streak, but that outburst came with heavy reliance on free throws and hot shooting from role players, and now the Blazers face a Detroit team that has ridden a top-tier defense—allowing roughly 113 points per game with a top-two defensive rating—to a 17-5 start while playing at only a moderate pace. The Blazers are still down multiple primary creators (Lillard, Henderson, Thybulle, Wesley) and could have compromised frontcourt depth if Donovan Clingan or Robert Williams are limited, which makes it harder to sustain efficient scoring on the road against Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and a long, switchable Pistons lineup that can flatten Portland’s drive-and-kick game. Recent head-to-heads in this matchup have landed around the low 230s (118-115 and 119-112 Detroit wins), and with this leaner Blazers roster plus Detroit’s strong half-court defense, I like the Under 235 at -110 as a Grade B+ play that balances a solid hit rate with a fair number. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 05/12/2025 09:48am

Shaedon Sharpe has already proven he can light up Detroit with his 29-point explosion in a 2023 comeback win in this building, and this current Portland core has twice taken the Pistons to the wire in the last calendar year with 118-115 and 119-112 losses that both landed inside this +7.5 spread, suggesting the matchup tends to stay competitive even when Detroit ultimately prevails. The Blazers just showed real resilience by ending a three-game skid with that 122-110 win in Cleveland despite their injury pile-up, while the Pistons enter off an emotionally and physically draining four-point loss in Milwaukee that snapped a stretch of 15 wins in 17 and exposed some late-game execution issues. With Cunningham and Duren good enough to keep Detroit in control but Portland’s length on the wings (Avdija, Grant, Sharpe) and improved bench scoring making a full-on blowout less likely, I’ll grab the Blazers +7.5 (-110) as a Grade B value side, expecting Detroit to win more often than not but in a game that stays within a couple of possessions. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 05/12/2025 09:48am