Pistons vs. Jazz Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Friday, Dec. 26

Can Utah move to 13-5 against the spread at home?

The Utah Jazz and forward Lauri Markkanen are home dogs on Friday night. / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons will aim to keep their gap ahead of the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference on Friday night.

Detroit is a major road favorite against the Utah Jazz, who are 7-10 at home but just 10-19 overall in the 2025-26 season. 

Utah has lost four games in a row heading into this matchup, but it will have star Lauri Markkanen in action after he’s been in and out of the lineup for most of this month.

The Pistons (24-6) have been great on the road, winning 11 of their 15 games. They now hold a three-game lead over the Knicks for the No. 1 seed in the conference and a 5.5-game lead over the No. 3-seeded Boston Celtics. 

That’s put Cunningham on the fringe of the MVP conversation, and he’ll look to add to his resume in a favorable matchup against one of the worst defenses in the NBA.

Here’s a look at the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for this matchup on Friday.  

Pistons vs. Jazz Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Pistons -9.5 (-115)
• Jazz +9.5 (-105)

Moneyline

• Pistons: -455
• Jazz: +350

Total

• 244.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Pistons vs. Jazz How to Watch

• Date: Friday, Dec. 26
• Time: 9:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Delta Center
• How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local), KJZZ
• Pistons record: 24-6
• Jazz record: 10-19

Pistons vs. Jazz Injury Reports

Pistons Injury Report

• Ron Holland II – questionable
• Isaac Jones – out
• Bobi Klintman – out
• Tolu Smith – out
• Wendell Moore Jr. – out

Jazz Injury Report

• Elijah Harkless – out
• Walker Kessler – out
• John Tonje – out
• Oscar Tshiebwe – questionable
• Georges Niang – out

Pistons vs. Jazz Best NBA Prop Bets

Pistons Best NBA Prop Bet

• Cade Cunningham OVER 9.5 Assists (-145)

This season, Cunningham is averaging 9.4 assists on 17.9 potential assists per game, and he has a great matchup on Friday night against Utah.

The Jazz are 29th in the NBA in defensive rating and dead last in opponent assists per game (30.3) this season. That means Cunningham should have a ton of chances to get his teammates involved, especially since he is one of the higher usage rate players (30.8 percent) in the NBA.

Back on Nov. 5, Cunningham dropped 10 dimes in just under 37 minutes in a home win over the Jazz. I expect him to get back to that number again on Friday. 

Pistons vs. Jazz Prediction and Pick

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m buying the Jazz as home dogs: 

The Utah Jazz are just 10-19 this season and have lost four games in a row, but I’m buying them at home on Friday. 

Utah has played much better at home (7-10) this season, and the Jazz have covered the spread in 12 of those 17 games, posting an average scoring margin of just -3.1 points. Detroit, on the other hand, has gone 8-7 against the spread on the road, posting an average scoring margin of +4.9 points.

The Pistons have won 11 of those games, but can they win by 10 or more on Friday? 

I’m willing to buy the Jazz with Lauri Markkanen off the injury report and expected to play in this game. Utah is 10-15 when the All-Star forward is in the lineup, and he gives them a huge lift on the offensive end, which will be crucial against a Detroit team that ranks No. 2 in the NBA in defensive rating. 

Even though the Jazz have dropped four games in a row, they only lost by nine at home against Memphis in their last game with Markkanen out of the lineup. 

Detroit has been one of the best teams in the league this season, but I can’t pass up a chance to get this many points with Utah at home. 

Pick: Jazz +9.5 (-105 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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