2024 NBA picks for March 15 from proven model
We’ve got another exciting Eastern Conference matchup on Friday’s NBA schedule as the Detroit Pistons will host the Miami Heat. Detroit is 12-53 overall and 7-26 at home, while Miami is 35-30 overall and 18-15 on the road. The Heat have won four straight meetings, including a 118-110 victory on March 5. The Pistons are 34-31 against the spread in the 2023-24 NBA season, while the Heat are 31-32-2 versus the number.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Miami is favored by 8 points in the latest Pistons vs. Heat odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 215 points. Before entering any Heat vs. Pistons picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 21 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 70-46 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,200. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Miami vs. Detroit. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Heat vs. Pistons:
Pistons vs. Heat spread: Pistons +8
Pistons vs. Heat over/under: 215 points
Pistons vs. Heat money line: Pistons: +267, Heat: -344
Pistons vs. Heat picks: See picks at SportsLine
What you need to know about the Pistons
The Pistons fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back wins it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They walked away with a 113-104 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Jalen Duren was the offensive standout of the match as he dropped a double-double on 24 points and 23 rebounds.
After starting the season 8-49, Detroit is now 4-4 over its last eight games. It has also performed much better versus the line recently as the Pistons have covered in seven of their last 10 contests. However, the team still struggles immensely on the defensive end of the court, ranking last in steals while also allowing the most free throw attempts per game, which has contributed to Detroit ranking 27th in defensive rating. Cade Cunningham, who leads the team in points and assists, is questionable with a knee injury on Friday. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Heat
Meanwhile, the Heat’s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fourth straight defeat. They took a 100-88 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. The Heat have struggled against the Nuggets recently, as their contest on Wednesday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup dating back to last season’s NBA Finals. Miami has also lost eight straight regular-season games to Denver. Bam Adebayo led Miami with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler contributed just 15 points.
As seen in that score, Miami struggles on the offensive end, ranking 27th in points, but it makes up for it on the other end of the court by ranking sixth in scoring defense. Miami has been up and down all season, and that’s evident in its recent ATS stretches. The Heat are just 1-5 ATS over their last six games, which follows a stretch in which they covered in nine straight games. Tyler Herro (foot) remains out for Miami. See which team to pick here.
Key Betting Info
The Heat will be relying on another big game from Butler to pull off a victory. This season, Butler has averaged 21.6 points, 1.4 steals, and 4.8 assists.
Some of the betting trends to consider are:
The Heat are 19-12-2 against the spread in their last 33 games when on the road.
The Heat are 9-13-2 against the spread in their last 24 games vs teams that win less than 45 percent of games.
The Pistons are 7-5 against the spread in their last 12 games vs teams that win 45-55 percent of games.
How to make Pistons vs. Heat picks
The model has simulated Heat vs. Pistons 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.