The surging Detroit Pistons will look to get the second half of their season off on the right track as they visit the San Antonio Spurs tonight.
San Antonio is on a back-to-back and playing without Victor Wembanyama, which is why I’m taking Detroit to cover in my Pistons vs. Spurs predictions.
Keep reading to see my full analysis of tonight’s matchup in my free NBA picks for Friday, February 21.
Pistons vs Spurs prediction
My best bet
Pistons -4.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
Heading into the All-Star break, the San Antonio Spurs were enjoying a great year from Victor Wembanyama, who was scoring 24.3 points per game while also averaging 11.0 rebounds and 3.8 blocks. San Antonio was on the outside looking in for the playoffs, but it was still a huge disappointment for the team to hear Wembanyama will now miss the rest of the year with a blood clot.
While sitting Wemby is the right move, it takes the anchor out of a defense that was already only mediocre this year. Despite Wembanyama’s incredible presence and length, the Spurs ranked just 19th in defensive rating this season and allowed opponents to shoot a solid 35.9% from 3-point range. Even with Wemby in the lineup, San Antonio rated below average in rebounding, and we can expect his absence to hurt the team there as well.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons will be taking the court tonight for the first time in nine days. Detroit currently sits sixth in the Eastern Conference and Cade Cunningham (25.4 ppg) has blossomed into an elite scorer and playmaker, averaging 9.4 assists per game in his fourth season.
One of the biggest matchup issues here will be on the boards. Along with San Antonio’s struggles in that area, Detroit is one of the better rebounding teams in the league, ranking fifth in total rebounding percentage. That should mean plenty of second-chance opportunities for the Pistons tonight, as Jalen Duren (10.2 rebounds per game) won’t have to deal with Wembanyama in the paint.
The Pistons come into tonight’s game having won four straight games, including going 15-8 since the start of January. With the Spurs trying to navigate a second night of a back-to-back against a well-rested team, Detroit should have little trouble winning and covering tonight.
Pistons vs Spurs same-game parlay
Pistons -4.5
Under 235.5
Cade Cunningham 25+ points
Losing Wembanyama will significantly impact the San Antonio defense, but this number is still a bit too high for two teams that usually average well below the 230-point mark for their game totals.
Even if I don’t think this will be a shootout, I’m still interested in rounding out our parlay by taking Cade Cunningham to score at least 25 points tonight. Cunningham has done so in eight of his last 12 games overall, and the price on this market is generous in a game where the Pistons should be able to put up solid numbers on offense.
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Pistons vs Spurs odds
Pistons vs Spurs live odds
Pistons vs Spurs opening odds
- Spread: Detroit -4.5 (-110) | San Antonio +4.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Detroit -185 | San Antonio +155
- Over/Under: Over 232 (-110) | Under 232 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Pistons vs Spurs spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Pistons are 29-25-1 against the spread this season, while the Spurs are 25-28 ATS on the year.
- San Antonio is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games overall.
- The Over has the edge when these teams play, going 30-23 in Spurs games and 29-26 when the Pistons take the court.
- Detroit is playing to an average total of 226.7 ppg, while San Antonio is averaging a total of 227.4 ppg.
Pistons vs Spurs trend
Detroit is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Pistons vs. Spurs.
How to watch Pistons vs Spurs
| Location | Moody Center, Austin, Texas |
| Date | Friday, 2-21-2025 |
| Tip-off | 8:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | FanDuel Sports Network-Detroit, KENS, NBAC |
Pistons vs Spurs latest injuries
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