NBA Free Pick: Wednesday January 9th : Pistons at Lakers
Pistons Take Their Poor Road Record to Los Angeles
The line for the January 9th NBA free pick seems a bit low as the Lakers are just -2 favorites as they host the Pistons. Detroit is 6-11 on the road and have gone 1-4 ATS in their last five away from Little Caesars Arena. The Lakers are still without Lebron James (groin) and did lose 119-112 to the Knicks their last home game. Even so, shouldn’t Los Angeles have a bigger edge tonight?
Where Do the Pistons Have the Advantage?
Detroit heads on the road Wednesday after a brief two game home stand. It’s been a downhill slide for Dwane Casey’s team as they are just 3-7 over their last 10 contests altogether. The Pistons have been kind of woeful on offense, scoring under 110 points in 9 straight games. At the same time, the Lakers have buckled down their defense, holding Dallas to 97 last time out. Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin provide a big edge for Detroit down low. Drummond has six games of 14+ rebounds over his last 10 and Griffin has back-to-back 34 point nights. Does Detroit get the W in the January 9th NBA free pick on the blocks?
The big question is how the Detroit defense will hold up vs. the Lakers. The Pistons have allowed 120+ to Milwaukee and Indiana in two of their last four road games. Los Angeles has been down a bit in scoring without James, going for 107 or less in 4 of 7 since Christmas Day. The ‘under’ is 14-4-1 in Los Angeles’ last 19 games at the Staples Center. Tonight’s total is listed at 215.5.
The Pistons, losers of five out of their last six, open a four game West Coast road trip tonight in L.A. They take on the Lakers, who have struggled without LeBron in the lineup. A win tonight would be an important victory to begin their road swing. #DetroitBasketball
— Motor City Daily (@MoCityDaily) January 9, 2019
Los Angeles Looks to Get Back to Their Winning Ways
The Lakers are in danger of slipping out of the Western Conference’s 8th seed. LA has gone 2-5 over their last 7 while battling a slew of injuries. The Lakers have a full squad in the January 9th NBA free pick with the exception of James and Rajon Rondo. Kyle Kuzma returned to the lineup last game after missing two contests with back spasms. He shot just 4-20 vs. Dallas but gives the Lakers a huge advantage vs. Detroit tonight.
LA is also stronger down on the blocks as Tyson Chandler and even Javale McGee give the Lakers combatants vs. Griffin and Drummond. Brandon Ingram had 29 vs. the Mavs and gives the Lakers a solid scoring option behind Kuzma. All that being said, the Lakers are just 1-4 ATS their last 5 home games. They are also 3-10-1 ATS their last 14 vs. a team with a losing road record.
January 9th NBA Free Pick Betting
Can Ingram and Kuzma be enough to carry the Lakers at home on Wednesday? The more this game breaks down, it really is looking like a toss up. Griffin should have a huge night back in Los Angeles and Detroit is looking like the outright winner. The line was low for a reason.
NBA Free PIck: Detroit Pistons +2.5
