NBA
Miami Heat @ Detroit Pistons:
Detroit Pistons (+ 8.5) /// 1.80
Last bet won. The Clippers won by 15 points. I won't repeat myself, as why it had to happen this way - I wrote in my previous prediction. Paul George, as it seems, was ready to destroy Chicago in a solo (28 points, 85% realization of three-point shots and 6 shots respectively, 5 rebounds, 7 assists to 1 turnover, steal and block). A very solid performance! But Kawhi played and helped secure a solid win. The good news for Chicago can be only the return of Coby White in the coming games. Total score of my bets: NBA 63-66 in favor of unsuccessful, MLB 30-27 in favor of successful, NHL 2-3 in favor of unsuccessful, NFL+NCAAF 3-8 in favor of unsuccessful.
New bet: Detroit at home will not lose to Miami by more than 8 points. I have in front of my mind Phoenix on the bubble and their 100% wins. Why do I remember them? Because Monty Williams seemed to instill confidence in his new team. And confidence is exactly what the Pistons roster has been lacking this entire regular season. And there were a lot of injuries of course. And I don't think anyone will disagree that Detroit's roster is really talented. The potential of players like Jaden Ivey, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, and Marcus Sasser is still untapped. Detroit could have the same shot next season as Orlando did this season, for example. Or like Phoenix once did. I'm not saying Detroit will beat Miami (although I wouldn't be surprised if it did), but Detroit won't give up this game so easily. Miami is probably in their worst shape of the season right now, while Detroit is in their best shape. Honestly, I expected to see almost equal odds from the bookies (somewhere around "2.20" for Detroit to win and "1.65" for Miami to win), but in fact I see "3.55" for Detroit to win and "1.30" for Miami to win. So, of course, I'm betting on Detroit holding the handicap. Quentin Grimes, Ausar Thompson will definitely not play for Detroit and Cade Cunningham is questionable. Miami will be without Tyler Herro, Josh Richardson, Kevin Love and Bam Adebayo is questionable. But the conditional loss of Cade Cunningham is not critical for Detroit, as they have Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser. But the loss of Bam Adebayo is serious! Yes, there is Thomas Bryant, who was very solid for the Lakers last season, and then he had a steep drop off in his play first in Denver and now in Miami. Let's be honest, only Bam will be able to stop Jalen Duren. Well, the head-to-head stats tell us that in the last 10 games Detroit 7 times has not lost to Miami by more than 8 points. You want to bet? Sure!