NBA Basketball Odds: Detroit at Dallas

Has the NBA’s Eastern Conference really caught up with the big boys? (AP Images)"]

The 24-17 Detroit Pistons (18-23 ATS) are in fifth place in the East, while the 24-18 Dallas Mavericks (18-24 ATS) are in ninth place in the West and looking at a dogfight to make the playoffs for the second year in a row.

There’s also the matter of the different directions in which these franchises are pointed. The Pistons are 2-5 SU and ATS in their last seven games; the Chauncey Billups-Allen Iverson trade leaves sophomore Rodney Stuckey (17.52 PER) to develop as Detroit’s starting point guard while Richard Hamilton (18.18 PER last year) is reduced to a sixth-man role.

The Mavs are also 2-5 (3-4 ATS) in their last seven outings, but against much stiffer competition and with more travel involved. It’s easy to conclude that Dallas has more betting value than Detroit in Friday’s matchup. Get your NBA betting with Bodog today.