The red-hot Detroit Pistons embark on a Western Conference road trip on Monday night with a matchup against the Utah Jazz.
The pregame narrative: Utah has been among the NBA’s worst teams all year, while Detroit has been one of the best in recent weeks. My +380 SGP includes an alt spread in the Pistons’ favour, as well as prop picks on Cade Cunningham and Walker Kessler.
Check out my Pistons vs. Jazz same-game parlay predictions for March 3.
Pistons vs. Jazz predictions
Parlay: Pistons -7.5 | Cunningham 25+ points | Kessler 12+ rebounds (+380)
Pistons -7.5 (-157): It’s remarkable seeing the difference a year can make.
This time last season, Detroit was 9-51, serving as the butt of most NBA-related jokes. Even Kyle Kuzma was clowning them.
But now, the Pistons look like a surefire playoff team. And they have nine wins in just their past 12 games.
- In that 12-game span, Detroit has the third-best net rating in the NBA (+11.0) with a 9-3 ATS record.
- Over the same timeframe, Utah is 4-8 with the 25th-ranked net rating (-6.2).
Detroit is 7-2 ATS as a road favourite this year and has covered a -7.5 spread in eight of its past 10 games overall.
I’m happy backing the team that’s flying high and has a rest advantage (the Jazz played at home last night).
SGP legs
Cunningham 25+ points (-152): The primary culprit for the Jazz’s wheels falling off is their utter absenteeism on defence.
Over its past 15 games, Utah has allowed the second-most points (122.3/game) and the second-most 3s (15.9/game) while forcing the second-fewest turnovers (11.1/game).
Cunningham’s main weakness on offence is that he’s turnover-prone. But that shouldn’t matter as much against the Jazz.
- Detroit’s all-star point guard has averaged 27.2 PPG over his past 18 and cashed this bet 11 times.
- He has 25+ points in all five career matchups vs. Utah, including a 33-point performance back in December.
Utah allows the third most PPG to opposing point guards (25.52), per Betting Pros.
Kessler 12+ rebounds (-182): This is too much juice to bet as a straight wager, but it vaults our SGP from +160 to +380. Based on how active Kessler is on the glass, that seems like value to me.
The 7-footer is averaging 12.2 rebounds this season, which ranks fifth among all NBA players.
And he’s been doing his best work since the third week of January:
- 14.1 RPG
- 12+ rebounds in 11 of 14 games
- 13+ rebounds in 4 straight
Detroit has the league’s fourth-highest rebounding rate (51.7%), but that didn’t stop Kessler from hauling in 12 rebounds during their matchup on Dec. 19.
Picks made at 9:20 a.m. ET 03/03/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.