NBA Basketball - Predictions and Odds
Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit took care of business in the first two contests at home, 111-101 in the opener and 107-97 in Game 2, while extending their overall winning streak to five.
Although it may not mean much now, Cleveland was competitive in this matchup during the regular season. These two Central Division rivals split their four head-to-head encounters at two wins apiece, including 1-1 in Cleveland. The Cavaliers lost 114-110 at home on January 4 before prevailing 113-109 over the visiting Pistons on March 3
The Pistons were favoured by 3.5 points at home in each of the first two games on the NBA playoff odds. They were also favourites by -2.5 at Cleveland in the final regular-season matchup between these teams. As such, it’s a bit surprising to see the Cavaliers going off at -4.5 for Saturday’s showdown. The regular-season totals were all set between 226.5 and 229.5, but defensive intensity always ratchets up in the playoffs, and the first two games of this series went off at 216.5 and 215.5 as a result. Following a pair of low-scoring affairs, Saturday’s total is even lower. Cleveland is 1-6 against the spread in its last seven games, while Detroit is 4-0 ATS in its last four. The under is 9-2 in the last 11 head-to-head meetings.
It has already been a tale of two different postseasons for the Pistons. They lost three of their first four games against Orlando but have since won five in a row. Detroit roared back from a 3-1 deficit in Round 1, and it has been full steam ahead of the East’s #1 seed so far in Round 2. Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris continue to have hot hands for the Pistons. Cunningham (30.6 PPG in the playoffs) had 25 points and 10 assists on Thursday, while Harris (21.3 PPG in the playoffs) contributed 21 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Cunningham and Harris are picking up the slack left by Jalen Duren. The all-star center scored a mere 10.6 PPG against the Magic and delivered only 19 total points in the first two games of this series. Donovan Mitchell finished with 31 points on Thursday, but his struggles continued. The star guard attempted 24 shots from the floor and made less than half of them (11), including a 2-for-9 effort from three-point range. Mitchell had previously gone six straight games without scoring more than 24 points.
The Cavaliers were without backup shooting guard Sam Merrill, who is dealing with a hamstring injury that he sustained in the first half of Game 1. Merrill averaged 12.2 PPG during the regular season and logged more than 20 minutes per game in the previous series against the Raptors. In his absence, Cleveland’s bench combined for just 17 points on Thursday.
Home cooking to the tune of shooting 19 more free-throws than Cleveland was a big factor in Detroit’s Game 1 victory. That was not the case on Thursday, though, as the Pistons again prevailed by 10 points despite attempting seven fewer free-throws than the visitors. The Pistons have been superior in every facet of the game so far. That may not show up as clearly on the road as it was at home, but this team has simply been on fire regardless of the venue dating back to Game 5 against Orlando. Look to Detroit to stay hot.