Who’s playing
Dallas Mavericks @ Detroit Pistons
Current records: Dallas 35-28, Detroit 10-52
How to watch
- When: Saturday March 9, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Or: Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, Michigan
- TV: Bally Sports – Detroit
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $19.33
What there is to know
The Pistons will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will face the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Both teams come into the match strengthened by their victories in their previous matches.
The Pistons entered Thursday’s game having lost three straight, but that streak is now behind us. They beat Brooklyn with a 118-112 victory on Thursday. Winning is a little easier when you outscore your opponent 13-4 on the offensive boards, like the Pistons did.
The Pistons relied on the efforts of Cade Cunningham, who had a double-double with 32 points and 11 assists, and Jaden Ivey, who was 6-for-9 from beyond the arc en route towards 34 points and 2 assists.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks entered Thursday’s game having lost three games in a row, but that streak is now behind us. They got a 114-108 W against Miami on Thursday. The Mavericks trailed 29-14 with 4:51 left in the first quarter, but they still came back for a handy six-point victory.
Luka Doncic continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, shooting 7 of 13 from long range and notching a triple-double with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He’s been hot recently, scoring 26 or more points in the last 13 times he’s played.
Detroit’s win ended a four-game home drought and moved them to 10-52. As for Dallas, their victory improved their record to 35-28.
Both teams pleased fans and punters in their last encounters by winning and covering the spread. Going forward, the Mavericks are the favorites as experts expect them to win by 7.5 points. This game will be Detroit’s 18th straight game as an underdog (so far in that stretch, they are 11-6 ATS).
The Pistons fell short against the Mavericks in their previous game in January 2023, losing 111-105. A big factor in the loss was the dominant performance of Doncic, who scored 53 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. Now that the Pistons know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check CBSSports.com after the game to find out.
Odds
Dallas is a massive 7.5-point favorite over Detroit, according to the latest NBA Odds.
Oddsmakers moved slightly against the Mavericks, as the game opened with the Mavericks as 9.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 234.5 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Dallas has won 7 of its last 10 games against Detroit.
- January 30, 2023 – Dallas 111 vs. Detroit 105
- December 1, 2022 – Detroit 131 vs. Dallas 125
- April 6, 2022 – Dallas 131 vs. Detroit 113
- February 8, 2022 – Dallas 116 vs. Detroit 86
- April 29, 2021 – Dallas 115 vs. Detroit 105
- April 21, 2021 – Dallas 127 vs. Detroit 117
- December 12, 2019 – Dallas 122 vs. Detroit 111
- January 31, 2019 – Detroit 93 vs. Dallas 89
- January 25, 2019 – Dallas 106 vs. Detroit 101
- April 6, 2018 – Detroit 113 vs. Dallas 106
