Halftime Report
After a tough defeat on the road their last time out, the Pistons look much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a 63-59 lead against the Heat.
If the Pistons keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 11-16 in no time. On the other hand, the Heat will have to make due with a 13-11 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Miami Heat @ Detroit Pistons
Current Records: Miami 13-10, Detroit 10-16
How To Watch
- When: Monday, December 16, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Little Caesars Arena — Detroit, Michigan
- TV: FanDuel SN – Detroit
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $12.00
What to Know
The Heat have enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Detroit Pistons in a holiday battle at 7:00 p.m. ET on Monday at at Little Caesars Arena. The Heat will be strutting in after a victory while the Pistons will be stumbling in from a defeat.
Last Thursday, the Heat were able to grind out a solid win over the Raptors, taking the game 114-104. Miami was down 41-25 with 8:38 left in the second quarter but they still came back for the handy ten-point victory.
Meanwhile, the Pistons traveled a rocky road last season, and unfortunately for them the road hasn’t gotten any smoother so far this season. Their bruising 123-99 loss to the Celtics on Thursday might stick with them for a while. Detroit was surely aware of their disadvantage in the point spread, but the foreknowledge did nothing to prevent the result.
The losing side was boosted by Ron Holland, who went 11 for 14 en route to 26 points. His performance made up for a slower game against the Knicks last Saturday.
Miami’s win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-10. As for Detroit, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-16.
Monday’s matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: The Heat haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 11.8 turnovers per game (they’re ranked third in turnovers per game overall). It’s a different story for the Pistons, though, as they’ve been averaging 15.6. Given the Heat’s sizable advantage in that area, the Pistons will need to find a way to close that gap.
As for their next game, the Heat are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 4.5 points. They are a gamble against the spread as they sit with a 9-14 ATS record.
Odds
Miami is a 4.5-point favorite against Detroit, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 219.5 points.
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Series History
Miami has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Detroit.
- Nov 12, 2024 – Detroit 123 vs. Miami 121
- Oct 28, 2024 – Miami 106 vs. Detroit 98
- Mar 17, 2024 – Miami 104 vs. Detroit 101
- Mar 15, 2024 – Miami 108 vs. Detroit 95
- Mar 05, 2024 – Miami 118 vs. Detroit 110
- Oct 25, 2023 – Miami 103 vs. Detroit 102
- Apr 04, 2023 – Miami 118 vs. Detroit 105
- Mar 19, 2023 – Miami 112 vs. Detroit 100
- Dec 06, 2022 – Detroit 116 vs. Miami 96
- Mar 15, 2022 – Miami 105 vs. Detroit 98
