Los Angeles Lakers vs Detroit Pistons Prediction 3/23/2026 Today’s NBA Picks

The Los Angeles Lakers pay a visit to the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on Monday night.

Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview 

The Los Angeles Lakers have been on fire as they’ve reeled off 12 wins from their past 13 games and they will be gunning for a 10th straight victory after sneaking past the Magic in a thrilling 105-104 road win on Saturday. Luka Doncic led the team with 33 points and eight assists on 12 of 30 shooting, Austin Reaves added 26 points with seven rebounds and five assists while LeBron James chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Lakers shot 45 percent from the field and eight of 32 from the 3-point line as they wasted an early 14-point lead to trail by seven points heading into the fourth quarter. We kept waiting for the Lakers to make a run and take the lead, but they didn’t reclaim the lead until the final second of the game where Luke Kennard drained the game winning 3-point shot to send the Lakers over the line. 

Detroit Pistons Betting Preview 

Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons are heating up again as they’ve won six of their last seven games overall and they will be aiming for a fourth straight victory after routing the Warriors in a 115-101 home win on Friday. Jalen Duren led the team with 23 points on eight of 12 shooting, Daniss Jenkins added 22 points with seven rebounds and eight assists while Paul Reed chipped in with 15 points off the bench. As a team, the Pistons shot 52 percent from the field and a miserly five of 21 from the 3-point line as they poured in 36 points in the second quarter to take a seven-point lead into the halftime break, before they went on another run to push the margin out to 24 points at one stage. The Pistons had a rough shooting night from behind the arc, but they were feisty on defense as they forced the Warriors to commit a total of 25 turnovers. 

Los Angeles v Detroit Free Prediction

The Lakers are keeping an eye on Marcus Smart, Maxi Kleber and Rui Hachimura who are all questionable, while the Pistons have ruled out Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser. These teams have already clashed once this season with the Pistons cruising to a 128-106 road win back on Dec 30, but a lot has changed since that meeting. The Pistons have continued to pile on the wins, but have been missing Cunningham while the Lakers have been playing some of their best basketball of the season heading into this meeting. Be sure to check the lineups before tipoff, but assuming that the Lakers have either Hachimura or Smart, I will lean towards the Lakers to continue their hot streak with another win and cover in a close one.

Peter Tran's Pick: Los Angeles -2.5