Detroit at Brooklyn

It has been a tough road for the Brooklyn Nets, playing without the services of Brook Lopez. He has missed seven straight games, and the Nets are just 2-5 straight up in those seven games. Lopez is cleared to play tonight, but after a long layoff his effectiveness, and minutes should be far below his expected standard. They also have to go without Jerry Stackhouse who provides a weapon off the bench, and his absence will also challenge the Nets rotation. The Pistons look worse than they are, as they started the season at 0-8. They have come a long way since, going 7-9 in their last 16 with wins vs. Boston and Philadelphia. Under head coach Lawrence Frank, the Pistons are 14-5 straight-up when facing a bad defensive team (those like Brooklyn that allow 46%+ from the field). And, under Avery Johnson, the Nets are 5-20 straight-up in December games and 12-23 straight-up following a game as a favorite. They are catching the Nets on a slide, and somewhat undermanned for this contest. As a result, the Pistons have a decent shot at pulling the surprise here. Take Detroit on the moneyline.