Detroit failed to stretch its win streak to three games after the Knicks beat the Pistons Wednesday, 105-102. The Pistons will try to build another momentum when they pay Cleveland a visit on Friday.
While the Cavs are the clear team to beat in the Eastern Conference, those betting on the spreads of their opponents have been making a nice profit so far, as Cleveland is just 3-7-1 ATS thus far on the season. Those wanting to bet on Detroit will also be encouraged by the fact that the Pistons have covered the spread in seven of their last 10 trips to Cleveland.
Detroit’s perimeter defense has been solid so far this season, as evidenced by its opponents draining just around seven threes per game, among the fewest in the league. The Pistons’ D will be put to a litmus test, however, by the trigger-happy Cavaliers, who have been shooting the lights out from beyond the arc this campaign. Overall, the Pistons are fourth in the NBA in defense with only 96.2 points surrendered per contest.
The Cavs have won all of their last four meeting with Detroit, and they will look to make it five straight this Friday with LeBron James back in harness. James’ absence was definitely felt by the Cavs on Wednesday, losing to Indiana on the road, 103-93.
With James in the mix again, expect better performance from the Cavs. The four-time league MVP enters the Detroit game with fresh legs and a brandishing a fantastic stat line of 23.4 PPG, 9.6 APG, and 8.9 RPG.
One thing the Cavs didn’t lose despite missing James for one game was their shooting touch from the three-point area, as they went 11-for-30 on threes. The Cavs are making 13.2 threes per game with Channing Frye pacing the team with 3.1 each outing.
Frye and Kevin Love should be a headache for Detroit’s bigs as both can stretch the floor, thus allowing the likes of James and Irving to take advantage of gaps in the paint. Love is averaging 21.0 PPG while shooting 32.1 percent from long distance.
