This Wednesday, the (14-41) Detroit Pistons will travel to Cleveland, OH to take on the (34-22) Cleveland Cavaliers. Tipoff will be at 7:00 PM EST inside the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. This will be the third meeting between these two teams this season, as the Cavaliers won the last matchup, 102-94.
The Pistons are coming into this one after falling to the Boston Celtics, 111-99. They struggled on the offensive end of the court, as they will have to be more efficient in this one if they want to challenge the Cavs on the road.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are entering this game after taking down the Washington Wizards, 114-91. They performed great on the defensive end of the court, as they will have to stay aggressive if they want to take care of business at home.
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This game was was written/published before last night's results.
Will the Pistons Show Up on the Road?
The Detroit Pistons are currently in last place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they are 24.5 games back from the first-place Boston Celtics. On offense, they are scoring 112.3 points per game and they have shot 45.5% from the floor. This is the 24th most points scored per contest and the 26th-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Pistons have the 27th-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. Bojan Bogdanovic continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 21.4 points per game on 48.9% shooting. Detroit has also shown that they struggle to consistently knock down shots from behind the arc. They have only shot 35.8% from deep, which is the 17th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. The Pistons have struggled at the charity stripe, as well. They have only made 77% of their shots from the line, which is the 22nd-highest free-throw shooting percentage.
On the defensive end of the court, the Pistons are allowing 119.7 points per game and their opponents have shot 49.4% from the floor. This is the 29th most points surrendered per contest and the 29th-lowest shooting percentage in the league. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Pistons have the 29th-lowest adjusted defensive rating in the NBA. They have struggled to defend shots in the paint and on the outside, as they are allowing their opponents to shoot 36.1% from behind the arc, which is the 17th-highest three-point shooting percentage allowed. The Detroit Pistons have also grabbed 42.3 rebounds per game, which is the 21st most in the NBA.
Injury Report: Cory Joseph PG (Back )) is questionable. Cade Cunningham PF (Shin) and Marvin Bagley III PF (Finger) is out.
Will the Cavs Stay Hot at Home?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they are five games back from the first-place Celtics. On offense, they are scoring 111.8 points per game and they have shot 48.7% from the floor. This is the 26th most points scored per contest and the sixth-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Cavaliers have the 11th-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. Donovan Mitchell continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 26.8 points per game on 47.3% shooting from the floor. Cleveland has also shown that they have multiple snipers littered throughout their roster. They have shot 36.9% from the floor, which is the 10th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. Cleveland has also shot 77.4% from the charity stripe, which is the 19th-highest free-throw shooting percentage. They can't miss out on these free points and still expect to win these games.
On defense, the Cavaliers have been very tough to beat. They are currently allowing 106.5 points per game and they have forced their opponents to shoot 46.5% from the floor. This is the least amount of points surrendered per game and the seventh-lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Cavaliers have the lowest adjusted defensive rating in the NBA. They have done an outstanding job of defending shots near the paint, but their perimeter defense has continued to let them down. They have allowed their opponents to shoot 36.7% from behind the arc, which is the 25th-highest three-point shooting percentage allowed in the league. The Cavs are also snatching 42.1 rebounds per game, which is the 23rd most.
Injury Report: Ricky Rubio PG (Knee) is questionable. Dylan Windler SG (Ankle) is out.
Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
I will be taking the Cleveland Cavaliers at home and I am going to lay the points (-12). They are currently (22-6) at home this season and their defense has been outstanding. They aren't going to allow the Pistons to score enough points to cover this spread. The Cavaliers have the lowest adjusted defensive rating and they are holding their opponents to the least amount of points per game. They will make it very difficult for the Pistons to score in the paint and Detroit has struggled to shoot from the outside. I also see Cleveland efficiently scoring throughout this one. They have the 11th-highest adjusted offensive rating and the sixth-highest team shooting percentage. The Pistons are allowing the second-most points per game, as they have struggled defensively all season. They are also (7-20) on the road, as I don't see them showing up for this one.
Pick the Cleveland Cavaliers and lay the points (-12).
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Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
I will be hammering the under (222.5) in this matchup, as I don't see the Cavaliers allowing the Pistons to score enough points to push this total over the number. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Cavaliers have the lowest adjusted tempo rating in the NBA, as they will slow this game down and limit the number of shots taken from the field. This will hurt the Pistons, as I don't see them being able to efficiently score throughout this game. They are only scoring the 24th most points per contest and they have the 26th-lowest team shooting percentage. They won't be able to consistently score on the Cavs, as this total will remain under the number. Cleveland won't go crazy on the scoreboard either. They are only scoring the 26th most points per game, as they will slow the game down and look to efficiently score throughout. This will allow them to cover the spread, but I don't see them scoring enough points to push this total over the number.
Pick the under (222.5) and expect a defensive battle in this one.
