**San Antonio at Detroit**



A rematch of last year’s NBA Finals takes place on Sunday, with San Antonio and Detroit going head-to-head. For those of you who’ve forgotten, the Spurs knocked off the Pistons 4-3 in the best-of-seven series.



The winner of each game also covered the spread as well, while the ‘over’ prevailed to a 5-2 mark. The home team was favored in each game and oddsmakers have tabbed Detroit as a 4 1/2-point favorite in this spot.



San Antonio (19-6 SU, 11-12 ATS) owns an 8-5 SU record on the road to go with a 5-6 spread mark. The 'over' is 7-6 in its road outings.



The Spurs have won back-to-back games, including a 95-90 home win Friday over Toronto. They failed to cover the number as 11 1/2-point favorites.



If you’re going to make a case of who’s the best in the NBA, then look no further than the Detroit Pistons. They have won six straight games to take a 5 1/2-game lead over Cleveland in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.



Detroit (21-3 SU, 14-7 ATS) has won six in a row and 12 of its last 13 games.



Head coach Flip Saunders has guided the Pistons to a remarkable 21-3 mark on the year. You can be assured the Saunders is loving life after getting let go by Minnesota last year midway through the season.



The Pistons are outscoring opponents by an average of 15 PPG (109-94) at The Palace of Auburn Hills this year.



Detroit owns an impressive 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS mark at home, with the lone loss coming on Nov. 25 against Washington, 120-114. This game did go to double-overtime.



The 'over' is 5-1 in the last six head-to-head meetings between these teams.


After this game, the Pistons host Toronto on Tuesday.





**L.A. Lakers at Miami**



I’m sure the television executives at ABC are happy with this matchup, considering all the story lines tied into this game.



The Shaquille-Kobe rivalry has been hyped since O’Neal was traded from the Lakers to the Heat last season. O’Neal and the Heat won both contests last season, including a 102-89 victory as 9 ˝-point home favorites.



Next, you’ve got to look at the men in suits. Phil Jackson returned to the Lakers this year for his second go ‘round for the Purple and Gold. Then, former Lakers and Heat coach Pat Riley decided to put himself back on the court after Miami’s head coach Stan Van Gundy resigned.



Toss in former Lakers’ guard and now Miami Heat Gary “The Glove” Payton into the mix and you’re bound to see some jawing going on from American Airlines Center.


Kobe Bryant has been on fire this year, averaging 32.5 PPG. His 62-point performance last Tuesday against Dallas was the highest in the league and also a career-high for Bryant.



The Lakers are one of two teams (Chicago) in the league that have produced winning records (8-5) on the road, yet are .500 (6-6) or worse at home.



L.A. is 8-5 SU and 9-4 ATS on the road this year.



The Lakers are 7-3 versus the Eastern Conference this year, but only two of the seven wins have come against teams with winning records.



Jackson’s team is averaging 93 PPG on the road, but holding teams to 91 PPG. The ‘under’ is 14-10 on the season and 9-4 away from home.



This will be the first of back-to-back games for Los Angeles before traveling to Washington on Monday.



The Heat currently sit atop the Southeast Division. Considering the other four teams in the division all have losing records, it’s not too impressive. Actually, only six of Miami’s 15 wins have come against teams with winning records.



The club is 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS since Riley took over the reigns from Van Gundy. Is “Showtime” back? The Heat are averaging 106 PPG under Riles, helping the ‘over’ go 4-1.



The Heat are 9-3 SU at American Airlines Center, but only 4-8 ATS. The ‘over’ is 6-5.



Following this game, the Heat will host Milwaukee on Tuesday.