For those who have been preoccupied with the strategy in curling or scrutinizing the scoring system in figure skating over the past two weeks, there’s no better time to return to the NBA than Monday night. Two of the league’s best and hottest teams collide when Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons battle Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
And while billing this matchup as a possible preview of the NBA Finals may be going too far and not giving enough respect to the reigning champions Thunder, consider the Pistons (42-13) have overtaken Oklahoma City (44-14) for the best record in the league. The Spurs (40-16) own the third-best mark in the association and are just three games behind the defending champs in the Western Conference.
Detroit has won five in a row and the games haven’t been particularly close. The Pistons’ average margin of victory during the winning streak is 18.6 points a game.
The only team with a longer winning streak than Detroit’s is San Antonio. The Spurs have won eight straight, and their margin of victory over that time is 16.1 points per game.
Detroit is a 1.5-point favorite over San Antonio on Monday.
While Spurs vs. Pistons is the marquee attraction on Monday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that includes two other NBA games and a partial college basketball schedule. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, Feb. 23. All times Eastern.
NBA best bets, where to watch
Spurs at Pistons
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Detroit | TV: Peacock | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Pistons -123 | Expert: Stephon Castle Over 19.5 Total Points + Assists -120 (Mike Barner)
Detroit has been an elite defensive team all season, allowing just 108.3 points per 100 possessions, which ranks second in the league, behind only Oklahoma City (106.1). But the Pistons have been even better on the defensive end during the winning streak, allowing just 102.5 points per 100, even though they have been without key players at times during that stretch. That’s the best defensive rating in the league over that time. The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, says Detroit has a 70% chance to win and assigns a strong “A” grade to Pistons money line. Meanwhile, Barner notes Castle has played 24 or fewer minutes in four straight games because of the Spurs being involved in blowouts. “The key here is that this should be a close matchup between two of the better teams in the league,” he says. “That should result in Castle playing closer to 30 minutes, which would put him in a great spot to hit this Over.”
Jazz at Rockets
Time: 9:30 p.m. | Location: Houston | TV: Peacock | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Rockets -13.5
Is it time for the Houston Chronicle to dust off the “Choke City” headline in reference to the Rockets? In May 1994, the newspaper used the headline after the city’s pro teams’ series of gags, including the Rockets’ blowing two huge leads to the Suns in Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. Houston would redeem itself by rallying to beat Phoenix in seven games en route to winning the NBA Finals. This year, the Rockets have blown multiple double-digit leads in the second half, most recently an 18-point fourth quarter cushion against the Knicks on Saturday. In clutch situations this season, Houston has the worst turnover rate (1.7) in the league. But on Monday, the Rockets face the tanking Utah Jazz (18-39). The SportsLine Projection Model says Houston has a 67% chance to cover and gives a “B” grade to Rockets -13.5.
College basketball best bets, where to watch
No. 24 Louisville at No. 18 North Carolina
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Chapel Hill, N.C. | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Under 162.5 | Expert: Louisville -2 (Sia Nejad)
The Louisville Cardinals (20-7, 9-5 in ACC) have lost 13 straight road games against ranked opponents. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Tar Heels (21-6, 9-5) are 15-0 at home this season. That would seem like a bad omen for the Cardinals, but the Tar Heels are still learning to play without star freshman and projected lottery pick Caleb Wilson (19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds per game). In addition, Louisville ranks fourth in the country in 3-point field goals per game (11.8), while North Carolina is 200th in the nation in 3-point percentage defense (33.9). “Louisville is on a nice run winning six of seven games, and I think their perimeter shooting, offensive rebounding and excellent free throw shooting down the stretch will ice this one,” Nejad says. The SportsLine Projection Model says there’s a 66.1% chance the teams combine for 162 or fewer points and assigns a “B” grade to Under 162.5.
No. 5 Houston at No. 14 Kansas
Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Lawrence, Kan. | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Houston -1.5
One—or perhaps two—long streaks will come to an end on Monday when the Houston Cougars and Kansas Jayhawks square off in a battle between two of the Big 12’s best at Allen Fieldhouse. The Cougars (23-4, 11-3), who have lost back-to-back games against Iowa State and Arizona, have not dropped three in a row since January 2017. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks (20-7, 10-4), who are coming off a shocking 84-68 loss at home to Cincinnati on Saturday, have not lost consecutive games at Allen Fieldhouse since the 1988-89 season. Also, Kansas is a perfect 40-0 at home under coach Bill Self on Big Monday. According to Kenpom, Houston remains a top-10 team both offensively (126.2 points per 100 possessions) and defensively (93.4). The SportsLine Projection Model says the Cougars have a 55% chance to cover and gives a “C” grade to Houston -1.5.
Looking ahead
NBA: Knicks at Cavaliers
Time: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday | Location: Cleveland | TV: Peacock | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 228.5
The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to continue their climb up the Eastern Conference standings when they take on the New York Knicks on Tuesday at Rocket Arena. The Cavaliers (36-22) are 19-6 over their last 25 games and sit in fourth place in the East, one game behind the Knicks (37-21). Cleveland is 4-1 since acquiring James Harden from the Clippers. The SportsLine Projection Model says there’s a 62% chance the teams combine for 229 points or more and assigns a strong “A” grade to Over 228.5.
