Dallas Mavericks vs Detroit Pistons Pick and Preview
Mavs (24-17) at Pistons (23-13) – Friday, Jan. 23 - 7 p.m. Eastern - ESPN
Friday's game between the Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons will feature two teams struggling to find their winning ways again. ESPN will televise the Mavericks-Pistons game from Detroit, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Detroit, expected to contend for the Eastern Conference championship, sits in fifth place in the conference, eight to 10 games behind the leaders: Orlando, Boston, and Cleveland. Dallas, meanwhile, is tied for eighth in the Western Conference with Utah.
Season Results After good starts to the season, the Mavericks and Pistons have played poorly since the calendar flipped to 2009.
Detroit dropped five straight games before winning at Memphis Monday, 87-79. Included in the five-game losing streak is a dismal 89-79 loss at Oklahoma City Jan. 16. It marked only the eighth win for the Thunder this season. At one time this season, Detroit was 21-11, but the Pistons have lost six of their last eight games.
Things haven't been much better for the Mavericks, who lost four straight games before beating Utah, 115-108, on Saturday, and winning at Philadelphia, 95-93, on Monday. Dallas held a 20-12 record on Jan. 2, but the Mavs are only 4-5 since then.
Detroit is 12-7 at home this season, while the Mavericks are 11-10 on the road.
In the most recent Mavericks-Pistons game, played last season, Detroit lost at Dallas, 102-86, on Jan. 9, 2008. Richard Hamilton scored 18 points to lead the Pistons in that game, while Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points for Dallas.
GET THE BEST LINES AT DIAMOND SPORTSBOOK TO PLACE A BET ON THE MAVS/PISTONS GAME Dallas ranks 11th in the NBA in scoring at 99.6 points per game, while Detroit is tied for 27th at 93.2 points. Defensively, the Pistons rank fourth in the league, allowing 93.1 points per game. Dallas is 14th, allowing 98.2 points.
West Vs. East
Detroit has played eight games in January against Western Conference opponents, posting a 4-4 record, but the Pistons have lost three of their last four against the West.
Dallas, meanwhile, has won its last four games against Eastern Conference opponents heading into Wednesday's game at Milwaukee. The Mavericks-Pistons game will be the third game of a four-game Eastern Conference road trip for Dallas.
Point Spread Records The Mavericks are 3-6 ATS over their last nine games, prior to Wednesday's game at Milwaukee. In their last five road games before Wednesday, the Mavericks are 2-3 ATS.
Detroit is 1-5 ATS over its last six games and 3-7 ATS over its last 10 games, heading into Wednesday's home game against Toronto. Over its last five home games before Wednesday, Detroit is 2-3 ATS.
Detroit has been involved in "under" games against the point total in six of its last eight contests, with one push. Dallas has been involved in four "under" games over its last eight contests.
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