The San Antonio Spurs continue a grueling nine-game road trip with a visit to the Palace of Auburn Hills this Monday night to face the Detroit Pistons in an inter-conference clash. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. (ET), and the game will be available on NBA League Pass.

The Spurs started this extended trip with a 102-95 victory over New Orleans on Feb. 3 as 3.5-point favorites. Since then they have sandwiched a pair of tight wins over Washington and Charlotte around an ugly 103-89 loss to Brooklyn as 7.5-point favorites this past Thursday to go 2-2 against the spread in this four-game run. The total has gone “over” in three of the contests.

Detroit has built up a bit of momentum heading into this matchup with back-to-back victories both straight up and ATS over the Nets and Denver as a slight home favorite each time. This followed a 2-6 SU (3-5 ATS) rough patch in its previous eight games. The total has gone over in seven of its last 10 outings.

San Antonio vs. Detroit Betting Storylines

San Antonio is 2.5 games in back of Oklahoma City for the lead in the Western Conference with an overall record of 37-14 SU, but it remains below .500 ATS at 24-27. The Spurs have been much better on the road with a 14-11 mark ATS, and the total has gone over in 14 of the 25 games. They come into Monday night fairly healthy, although both Tiago Splitter and Marco Belinelli remain questionable with minor injuries. If Belinelli cannot go, this will place a further strain on the shooting guard position with Manu Ginobilli out of the lineup until later this month with a strained hamstring.

The Spurs still have Tony Parker (17.9 points and 6.3 assists) and Tim Duncan (15.4 points and 10.1 rebounds) as the driving force behind this team’s continued success. San Antonio is ranked ninth in the NBA in scoring with 103.9 points a game, but more importantly, it is ranked sixth in points allowed (97.3). It is shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from 3-point range while pulling down 42.4 rebounds a game.

The Pistons’ 126 points in Saturday’s victory over Denver were the most points this team has scored all season and far more than a team average of 100.6 points a game. They also put up 111 against Brooklyn and have now scored 100 points or more in nine of their last 11 games. Detroit’s defense remains suspect after giving up 102 points or more in 11 of its last 15 outings to fall to 25th in the league in points allowed. Detroit’s recent run was not enough to save head coach Maurice Cheeks’ job. He was fired on Sunday and replaced by assistant coach John Loyer on an interim basis.

Brandon Jennings led the way against the Nuggets with a game-high 35 points, and Josh Smith chipped in another 30. These two have been getting it done all season for Detroit with a combined 33.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 11.8 assists. The Pistons have three other players scoring in double-figures, and they are shooting 45 percent from the field. They match up well under the boards with an average of 45.1 rebounds a game.

San Antonio vs. Detroit NBA Odds and Game Trends

BetOnline has opened the Spurs as 3.5-point road favorites for Monday night’s inter-conference clash, and the total has been set at 206.

The Spurs are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a SU win but a healthy 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games against the Central Division. The total has gone over in nine of their last 13 road games.

The Pistons are 5-1 ATS in their last six games but a costly 8-23 ATS in their last 31 games against a team from the Southwest Division. The total has gone over in 21 of their last 28 games at home.

The underdog in this matchup is 10-4 ATS in the last 14 meetings, and the total has gone over in six of the last seven games between the two.

Free NBA Picks: San Antonio vs. Detroit Betting Predictions

It is hard to say what the impact of the coaching change will be, but Detroit will still be hard pressed to extend its SU winning streak to three games this Monday night against a very good road team. However, I think it has a decent shot at covering as an underdog at home. If you are looking for a safer play in this game then go with the over on the total line, especially in light of the Pistons’ current form.

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