Philadelphia at Detroit
Time: 6 PM CT, NBA TV
Spread: DET -1
Total: 215

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Philadelphia 76ers have begun its season 2-1, but now it travels to Detroit to face the Pistons as 1-point underdogs according to NBA oddsmakers at 5dimes. The game will air at 6 PM (CT) on NBA TV with an over/under of 215 points. Worth noting, the ‘over’ has been on for 27 of the first 38 games this NBA season in what has been one of the highest-scoring beginnings to a season since the 1969-70 campaign.

PHI

Philadelphia is expected to be without point-forward Ben Simmons. Simmons is facing tightness in his lower back, and the Sixers are exercising the necessary precautions with its franchise player. However, with a deep and talented team, the 76ers cannot be simply written off due to lacking his playmaking abilities. Simmons has averaged 12 points, eight assists, and nine rebounds through three games, but there is plenty of talent to pick up his slack. Expect power forward Dario Saric to see an increased role, and J.J. Redick has been on fire in this young season.

Of course, Joel Embiid will continue to be the center of the offense, which has averaged 110 points per game through three. Embiid is averaging 28.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, and absolutely looking like he will make his first NBA All-Star appearance this season.

The Sixers narrowly avoided defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic, and it is still hoping for (Much) more from former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz. He has struggled mightily to find any sort of rhythm, and outside of some decent defense, has begun to draw labels of a “bust.” Early as that label may be coming, now is the time for Fultz to begin to show his immense potential with Simmons resting. Saric, too, is a player capable of far more than 10 points per game, so between the duo, one or both must have a breakout game to secure victory against a Pistons team led by a red-hot Blake Griffin.

DET

The Pistons have revitalized Griffin. Through just two games (both wins) he is averaging 29.5 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while getting plenty of help. The Pistons are sporting six players with double-figure averages, and Andre Drummond has been a monster in his own right. Drummond is averaging 17 points and 16.5 rebounds per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the field.

The Pistons are weak in three-point production, shooting just 37.5 percent and nailing 12 a game as a team, but those marks are not really that poor and it is a team that could surprise many in the wide-open Eastern Conference. Detroit is still eager to see just what it has in small forward Stanley Johnson, who has made his mark as a defender but averages just 10 points per game in 30 minutes a night.

Overall, Detroit is a deep team and hosts this game, but the Sixers have untapped reserves of talent that should enable to prevail as slight underdogs against what can only be perceived as an “overachieving” Pistons team thus far. While Detroit is not short on talent, Saric or Fultz should seize this opportunity in Simmons’ absence to play like the talents they have been considered to be. The Pistons are a fringe playoff team, but Philadelphia is considered a contender in the East, and even without Ben Simmons it possesses plenty of offensive talent.

The ‘215 point’ over/under is perhaps the most intriguing part of this line, if only because most NBA games are going over in this high scoring season. Not a lot of emphasis seems to have been placed on the defensive end, so keep an eye on the pace of this game. It, naturally, will determine the over/under more than any individual performances, even.