Tip-off: Tuesday, 8:35 p.m. ET
Line: San Antonio -8.5, Total: 198.5

The red-hot Pistons attempt to extend their five-game winning streak when they visit the Spurs on Tuesday night.

Detroit had a dismal start to this season, going 5-23 SU (8-20 ATS), as it failed to win a game from Nov. 15 to Dec. 9 (13 games). The club lost by double-digits in seven of those defeats, but has caught fire recently with victories (SU and ATS) in each of the past five contests by an average of 20.0 PPG, despite playing three of those games on the road. The Pistons have scored 108.4 PPG over the streak while holding opponents to 85.5 PPG over the past four contests. Detroit continued to dismantle teams with a big 114-95 win as a 3.5-point home favorite against the Kings on Sunday while hitting 49.5% of its shots, including 12-of-31 (39%) from behind the arc. San Antonio has been hit with injuries, and has also needed to rest its aging stars, but has pulled it together over the past four games with three strong SU victories against Houston, New Orleans and Washington. It has been the defense stepping up recently in holding the past three opponents to a mere 92.7 PPG. This includes a 101-92 victory as a 5.5-point favorite at home against the Wizards on Saturday. It was the Spurs 14th straight win against Washington when playing at home, as they made 43-of-78 shots (55% FG) while forcing just six turnovers. The Pistons have actually been much better on the road than at home this season, going 6-10 SU (8-8 ATS) in away games, while San Antonio is 12-5 SU (7-10 ATS) in front of its hometown crowd. The home team has prevailed in the series between these two teams in the previous two seasons with each team grabbing two SU wins, with Detroit holding the 3-1 ATS advantage. This series has been very high-scoring this decade with the Over going 8-1 since the 2010 calendar year. Some trends to keep an eye on include that the Pistons are a solid 23-11 ATS (68%) after scoring 105+ points in the past two seasons while the Spurs are 29-16 ATS (64%) in non-conference games over the same timeframe. On the injury front, Detroit remains without any omissions from its lineup, while PG Tony Parker (hamstring) is questionable and SF Kawhi Leonard (hand) is out indefinitely for San Antonio.

Can the Pistons keep their win streak going in a tough environment? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Forecaster has a strong 56% ATS record (89-70-1) in featured games this season. In terms of Best Bets, StatFox Scott is a sizzling 80% ATS (8-2) in Best Bets since Dec. 21, improving his record to 54% ATS (27-23) for the season. StatFox Brian is 61% ATS (17-11) in Best Bets since Nov. 29, and is now 54% ATS (27-23) in season Best Bets, while StatFox Gary is 56% ATS (15-12) in NBA Best Bets since Nov. 29, and is now 54% ATS (27-23) this season.

Overall the Pistons have scored only 96.5 PPG (9th-worst in league) while making a mere 42.5% of their shots (2nd-worst in NBA), but they have been great of late with 100+ points in seven of their past eight outings. Their defense has also been playing much better while giving up 95 or fewer points in each of the past four games, lowering their season rates to 99.5 PPG on 45.2% shooting, which both rank 16th in the league. PG Brandon Jennings (14.1 PPG, 6.3 APG, 1.0 SPG) is all over the place in terms of production with 25+ points in three of the past four games, but is scoring just eight points in the other contest. Over his eight career meetings with the Spurs, Jennings has averaged 14.4 PPG (38% FG) and 6.1 APG. C Andre Drummond (12.8 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.1 SPG) is becoming one of the best centers in the league while putting up some huge stats (15.0 PPG, 15.8 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 1.4 SPG) in his past five games. He also had some nice performances against San Antonio over two meetings last season while netting 15.0 PPG (50% FG) to go along with 13.0 RPG, 2.5 BPG and 1.5 SPG. PF Greg Monroe (14.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG) had a double-double in each of his past two games while failing to record more than 30 minutes in his past three contests. He’s started seven career games against these Spurs with strong success, producing 14.7 PPG (47% FG) and 9.7 RPG.

The Spurs offense has remained a solid group despite having many of their key players sidelined. They are scoring 102.1 PPG (10th in league) on 46.8% FG (5th in NBA) and 37.1% threes (8th in league). The defense has been less consistent though, allowing opponents to score 98.5 PPG (11th in NBA) behind 44.4% shooting from the floor. PF Tim Duncan (15.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.1 BPG) has made 49% FG over the past five games and continues to be a force on the boards at the age of 38, ripping down double-digit rebounds in three of the past five contests. His output was held in check over his two games against this Pistons group last season while he averaged 12.0 PPG (50% FG), 8.5 RPG and 1.0 BPG in only 24.3 MPG. PG Tony Parker (16.2 PPG, 5.2 APG) hopes to make his way back into the lineup for this one after missing his previous five games, and will be a welcomed site, as he has been able to score at least 20 points in eight of his 21 games this season. Parker has always been a big factor against the Pistons while scoring 17.1 PPG (51% FG), and has added 5.8 APG over 22 career starts. SG Manu Ginobili (12.8 PPG, 5.0 APG, 3.1 RPG) has had a rough go of things from the field this season while making a mere 41.7% of his shots compared to his career average of 45% FG. He has been better over his past five performances (47% FG), but has struggled somewhat in his 19 career games (6 starts) against Detroit with 12.8 PPG (44% FG) and 3.6 APG.