Cleveland’s only a win away from sweeping Detroit, and advancing into the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Tonight might just be the night that the Cavs do so, as they take on the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills for Game 4. Will LeBron James and co. succeed? Or will Detroit win and ultimately force a Game 5 at Quicken Loans Arena?
Read on below for a closer look at this promising bout. And while you’re at it, check out our preview of Game 4 between the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics. The Hawks currently lead that series, 2-1.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons Game 4 Preview
Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit
When: Sunday, April 24, 2016, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Cleveland Cavaliers (-6.5) vs. Detroit Pistons (+6.5); total: 198.5– view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs’ Big Three are wreaking havoc right now, and this is definitely bad news for all of their future playoff opponents.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving successfully led Cleveland to a huge road win in Game 3, as the two stars scored 20 and 26 points, respectively. James, as usual, had a more complete game by grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out seven assists. He did have a game-high of five turnovers, however.
Kevin Love, meanwhile, added 20 points of his own to go along with 12 rebounds. That’s his fifth-straight double-double performance, and his 38th for the entire season.
Apart from these three though, Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova and J.R Smith deserve some credit in that win at Detroit. They combined for 29 points, 19 rebounds and nine dimes.
Thompson, specifically, imposed his will through his hustle and relentless attack towards the offensive glass (eight rebounds). It gave the Cavs some crucial possessions and second-chance points.
Overall, the Cavs should be able to complete the sweep in Game 4, so long as the Big Three continue to deliver the goods—especially during crunch time—while also receiving some timely contributions from their role players.
Cleveland is 4-6 ATS in its past 10 road games.
Betting on the Detroit Pistons
Detroit’s lack of experience was exposed in Game 3. The Pistons played well throughout the most part of the game, but eventually failed to efficiently execute—on both sides of the floor—down the stretch. And needless to say, that cannot happen in tonight’s Game 4.
Reggie Jackson has got to sharpen further his decision-making skills and make better shot selections. Yes, he had a relatively solid performance in Friday night’s loss with 13 points, four rebounds and 12 dimes under his belt. But he went just 5-of-16 from the field and had a crucial turnover in the fourth quarter.
Moreover, the Pistons need to feed the ball more to Andre Drummond, who is averaging 16.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in this series, in the post. He should be able to force Cleveland to double him thanks to his size, and more importantly allow his teammates in Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope some easy driving lanes or wide-open jumpers.
Harris and Morris put up 13 and 16 points, respectively, in the loss in Game 3. Caldwell-Pope, meanwhile, racked up a game-high 18 points along with three treys in the same game.
Speaking of treys, this has been one of the most glaring issues in the last two games for the Pistons. They are only shooting 25.0 percent from the three-point area during that brief stretch, while their perimeter defense has been just as horrendous. Detroit has allowed Cleveland to shoot 43.1 percent as a team from the same range.
If this kind of defense keeps up, don’t be shocked to see the Pistons get swept by the Cavs in resounding fashion.
Detroit is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Detroit (-6.5) survives, 90-86, and lives to fight another day.
