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As an aging athlete, my morning pilgrimage from bed to the coffee maker is accompanied by plenty of snaps, crackles, and pops from my ankles, knees, and hips.
It takes a little while for me to get going, which is what I suspect the Detroit Pistons felt like when they opened their Round 1 series with the Orlando Magic last weekend.
My Magic vs. Pistons predictions and NBA picks expect Detroit to be wide awake for Game 2, with the home side starting strong on April 22.
The Detroit Pistons weren’t just rusty after a week off from action; they weren’t ready.
The Orlando Magic, on the other hand, were in full-throttle survival mode after two Play-In Tournament tilts, including a squash of the Charlotte Hornets to earn the No. 8 seed.
The Magic were a mere day removed from that effort and hit the ground running in Motown, jumping out to a 35-point first quarter behind a physical brand of ball that left the Pistons passive and on their heels.
“They’ve been off. We found a little bit of rhythm playing so many games, so that always plays a part in it,” Orlando head coach Jamahl Mosley admitted after the Game 1 win.
Don’t expect a replay of those opening 24 minutes in Game 2. Detroit has been one of the top teams in first halves all season, boasting a +5.9 first-half margin of victory at home and an overall 1H net rating of +9.2 — fourth highest in the NBA.
Those derivative splits helped the Pistons pump out one of the better records against first-half spreads, going 45-35-3 ATS on the season.
Orlando has also been a strong team in the opening two frames this year, but the Magic run the risk of complacency in Game 2. Most road teams aim for a split in those first two tilts of a series, and the Magic have already achieved that.
Mix in Orlando’s infuriating inconsistency, and I have a tough time trusting in a repeat performance. The Magic are 23-23 SU and 19-27 ATS when coming off a win this season.
Cade Cunningham finished Game 1 with only four dimes on 17 potential assists due to Detroit’s poor shooting. The Pistons won’t waste his dimes in Game 2. Before suffering a scary lung injury in March and a limited workload in his return, Cunningham had dished out 10 or more assists in 10 of 13 games from February 19 to March 15.
Duncan Robinson knocked down three triples in Game 1 and has made at least three shots from beyond the arc in nine of his last 12 games overall. His Game 2 forecasts lean toward another three makes from downtown.
Cade Cunningham gets Detroit on track after a belly flop in Game 1, pacing the Pistons with his passing, outside shooting, and rebounding.
Projections call for 10 assists, more than six boards, and as many as three triples in Game 2.
The Pistons are 17-5 SU and 13-9 ATS (59%) when coming off a loss this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Magic vs. Pistons.
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