Detroit Pistons (15-45) vs Toronto Raptors (29-31)
Game Info: Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 12:00 pm (Little Caesars Arena)
Betting Odds: Detroit Pistons +6.5 -- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: Bally Sports DET, SN Stream live sports and exclusive originals on ESPN+. Sign up now! 
The Toronto Raptors invade Little Caesars Arena to take on the Detroit Pistons on Saturday afternoon.
The Toronto Raptors have been building nicely as they’ve won six of their last seven games overall and they will be gunning for a fourth straight victory after sneaking past the Pelicans in a 115-110 home win on Thursday. Pascal Siakam led the team with 26 points and five assists, Jakob Poeltl added 21 points with 18 rebounds on nine of 11 shooting while Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. each scored 18 points. As a team, the Raptors shot 46 percent from the field and nine of 31 from the 3-point line as they jumped all over the Pelicans from the start and outpaced them for three quarters to build a 15-point lead, before they held off a late rally from the Pelicans who got to within two points with 33.1 seconds left in the game.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons have continued their struggles as they’ve lost eight of their last 10 games overall and they will be hoping to arrest a three-game skid after falling just short to the Magic in a 108-106 road loss on Thursday. Jaden Ivey led the team with 25 points on nine of 13 shooting, Alec Burks added 16 points while Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo each scored 12 points. As a team, the Pistons shot 45 percent from the field and an efficient 17 of 34 from the 3-point line as they worked hard to claw their way back from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter, only to lose at the buzzer as the Magic’s Wendell Carter Jr. drained the game-winning tip shot to snatch the game from the Pistons in the end.
Looking at the betting trends, the Raptors are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a win and 0-4 ATS in their last four road games against a team with a losing home record. The Pistons are 2-7 ATS in their last nine home games, 4-0 ATS in their last four games against a team with a losing record and 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games playing on one days rest.
Head to head, the over is 6-2 in the last eight meetings overall, the Raptors are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings in Detroit and the Raptors are 0-8 ATS in the last eight meetings overall.
The Raptors will again be shorthanded as Otto Porter Jr and Fred VanVleet are both out, while the Pistons are missing Jalen Duren and Nerlens Noel again, but they should have Marvin Bagley back in the lineup. The Raptors come into this meeting as the team in better form, but they are shorthanded again and they were far from convincing in their narrow win over the struggling pelicans on Thursday. The Pistons have been mired in their worst slump of the season and they are only 2-7 ATS in their last nine home games, so I’ll lean towards the Raptors to take care of business in this spot.
Peter’s Pick Toronto -6.5
AUTHOR: Peter Tran
Mitch's Take...
