Pistons vs. Magic Prediction, Odds and Best Prop Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 3

A massive bounce-back win in Game 2 has the Detroit Pistons tied at one game apiece with the Orlando Magic heading into Saturday’s Game 3.

Cade Cunningham and the Pistons held Orlando to just 83 points in Game 2, completely turning things around after a shocking Game 1 loss. The win snapped Detroit's 18-year streak without a home playoff win, and oddsmakers have the Pistons favored to win Game 3 – and the series – heading into Saturday.

Orlando has been up and down all season long, going from a potential title contender before the season to barely making the playoffs by way of the play-in tournament. The Magic blitzed the Pistons in Game 1, but they then fell flat on Wednesday, getting outscored 38-16 in the third quarter in a double-digit loss.

There is still a ton of top-line talent on the Magic roster with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs, but the Pistons seemed to find their defensive mojo in Game 2.

The No. 2 defense in the NBA in the regular season, Detroit is looking to carry that into a huge road Game 3.

Let’s take a look at the odds, a player prop to consider and my prediction for this Eastern Conference showdown.

Pistons vs. Magic Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Pistons -2.5 (-110)
Magic +2.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Pistons: -142
Magic: +120

Total

213.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Pistons vs. Magic How to Watch

Date: Saturday, April 25
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Kia Center
How to Watch (TV): Peacock/NBCSN
Series: Tied 1-1

Pistons vs. Magic Injury Reports

Pistons Injury Report

None to report

Magic Injury Report

Jonathan Isaac -- doubtful

Pistons vs. Magic Best NBA Prop Bets

Pistons Best NBA Prop Bet

Cade Cunningham OVER 27.5 Points (-123)

The Pistons don’t have a ton of shot creation on their roster, so it makes sense that Cunningham has had a major scoring burden so far in this series.

He dropped 39 points in Game 1, taking 27 shots and 11 free throws to get there. Then, he followed that up with 19 shots and eight free throws in a 27-point game in Game 2.

The Pistons pulled away in Game 2, but Cunningham still played over 37 minutes in the win. So, bettors should expect a heavy workload for the star guard in Game 3. Cunningham didn’t average nearly as many points in the regular season, but the playoff volume for him is not uncommon.

In eight career playoff games, Cade has taken at least 20 shots six times, averaging 27.0 points per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field.

Pistons vs. Magic Prediction and Pick

These teams have combined for 213 and 181 points in the first two games of the series, and it’s pretty clear that neither squad is elite on the offensive end of the floor.

Detroit’s lack of shot creation has been evident in both games, but it dominated defensively in Game 2, forcing 17 turnovers. The Pistons still turned the ball over 22 times themselves, which is why both teams averaged less than a point per possession in Game 2.

Overall, these teams were 16th (Orlando) and 14th (Detroit) amongst playoff teams in offensive rating (through two games) despite the fact that their series is No. 2 of all the first-round matchups in pace.

During the regular season, these teams ranked 15th (Detroit) and 25th (Orlando) in effective field goal percentage, and it’s clear that they’re both better equipped to play low-scoring games if they want to win.

The UNDER hit in 55 percent of the Pistons’ road games in the regular season, and I don’t see this game going much over 200 combined points on Saturday.

Pick: UNDER 213.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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