Pistons plus 13 at Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have Evan Mobley back and they expect to have point guard Darius Garland back for this game, too. Garland has been out since mid-December because of a broken jaw. Cleveland is coming off two highly satisfying victories, beating the Clippers by 10 points at home two days ago and getting short revenge on the Bucks.
So you can’t blame the Cavaliers if they suffer a letdown here against the lowly Pistons. That’s what I’m banking on.
Cleveland has defeated Detroit seven straight times. That includes two games this season. Detroit covered in those two games, though, losing by eight and nine points, respectively.
The Pistons should enter this matchup with some confidence after upsetting Oklahoma City, 120-104, as a 12 1/2-point home ‘dog this past Sunday. Detroit hasn’t played since. So the Pistons are on two full days rest.
There’s a good chance Cade Cunningham returns to Detroit’s lineup today. He missed the win against the Thunder resting a sore knee. Cunningham is considered probable to play today.
Even if the Cavaliers built a big lead, the backdoor could swing open for the Pistons since the Cavaliers have a road game on Thursday against the Grizzlies. It’s unlikely the Cavaliers want to overload their first-stringers with big minutes, especially Mobley and Garland.
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