A key NBA battle sees the visiting Heat travelling to Detroit Friday to face the Pistons on Friday.

(Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news). The Pistons are 9-22 so far on the season, and 14-17 ATS vs. the number. The Heat, meanwhile, are 20-6 and 15-11 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Detroit go 14-16-1 and the Heat go 12-14 on the totals.



View Miami vs Detroit Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to back the visiting Heat before tip-off in this one found them as 8.5-point favorites earlier at Sportsbook, while the total was sitting at 193.5 at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 18 (Pistons) and the No. 9 (Heat) teams in the league, according to our current NBA Power Rankings at Odds Shark. A 104-96 result in favor of the Heat is predicted by handicapping models.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Detroit's No. 23-ranked offense (94.4 PPG) against a Heat defense that ranks No. 16 at 97.2 PPG. The Pistons have averaged 43.5% from the field per game, less than the Heat have managed so far this season (49.5% on average).

Defensively, the Heat feature the league's No. 15-rated defense on the road, giving up 98.7 points per game. Detroit, meanwhile, comes in at No. 21 in the league in scoring at home.

In their last action, Miami was a 105-92 Sportsbook on the road against the Bobcats. They covered the 9-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (197) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. The Heat got a 29-point performance from Dwyane Wade as Miami ran past Charlotte 105-92 on Wednesday at Time Warner Cable Arena.

In their last action, Detroit was a 126-119 loser on the road against the Hawks. They covered the 7.5-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (245) was profitable news for OVER bettors. Detroit got 31 points from Will Bynum en route to a 126-119 loss at the hands of Detroit on Wednesday at Philips Arena.


Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Friday are 9-1
Before playing Milwaukee are 9-1
After playing Charlotte are 8-2
After a win are 8-2

Detroit Pistons Trends:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing Milwaukee are 5-5
After playing Atlanta are 5-5
After a loss are 3-7

A few Heat at Pistons trends to consider:
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Miami's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing at home against Miami
Detroit is 6-16 ATS in its last 22 games when playing Miami


Next up:
Miami at Milwaukee, Saturday, December 29
Detroit home to Milwaukee, Sunday, December 30