NBA East Meets West - Spurs at Pistons and Celtics at Jazz

San Antonio Spurs (35-17) @ Detroit Pistons (27-25)

Sports betting sharps might recall that this matchup was at one point a meeting of two of the best teams in their respective conferences.

While the San Antonio Spurs have been able to maintain their steady play, the Detroit Pistons have fallen off the map.

The Pistons are a team in disarray right now and an Allen Iverson haircut won’t help fix matters.

NBA betting handicappers have to be careful betting on the Pistons because they are capable of winning on a regular basis but right now, because of poor chemistry and poor coaching, they aren’t getting the job done.

It’s hard to believe now, but the Pistons were at one point 10 games over .500 at 21-11. Now they are just 27-25 and have lost 14 of their last 20 games. An even more disturbing sign is that the Pistons haven’t defeated a team with a winning record since February 9th, when they won in Denver.

Meanwhile, the Spurs have been on cruise control since a sluggish start. NBA betting sharps might recall that the Spurs started the season 5-6. Since then they are 30-11, which gives them one of the best winning percentages in the league.

On Thursday night, they’ll be without Manu Ginobili as he’s out due to injury. That could be a big factor, especially since the Pistons will be looking to avenge an ugly home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

Look for one of the rare complete Pistons efforts in front of a national audience on Thursday as they get the win as a home dog.

Pick: Detroit Pistons +1

Boston Celtics (44-11) @ Utah Jazz (31-23)

Sports betting enthusiasts will get a chance to see what might be a good NBA Finals matchup if both the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz play to their potential. So far, only one team has kept up their end of the bargain as the Celtics sit atop the Eastern Conference.

The Jazz have been riddled with injuries all season long and though they were once considered the biggest threat to the Los Angeles Lakers in the West, they currently sit just a half a game ahead of ninth-seed Phoenix.

The Jazz have been better of late, though, winning five of six and covering five of their last six spreads. But that still doesn’t touch what the Celtics have been doing as they have won 14 of their last 16 games.

For the Celtics, this will be their first game since the NBA’s All-Star break and the C’s had had only three days (or more) rest in between games on one occasion this year. They won and covered that game.

The Celtics are 14-7 against the West versus their sparkling 30-4 record against the East, which shows they are a bit vulnerable traveling. Look for the Jazz to take it to them as the Celtics might be a bit rusty with such a long layover.

Pick: Utah Jazz +1.5