Detroit Pistons Travel to Cleveland to Face the Cavaliers

The Detroit Pistons won’t be making the NBA Finals this year but can deal a blow to Cleveland. The Pistons actually have a surprising record against the Cavaliers in recent games.

However, the question remains, can the Pistons pull off an upset on the road? They’ve struggled lately to win when traveling. Facing the Cavaliers’ defense won’t make it any easier to get a win Saturday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to turn up the heat on their offense. They recently beat the Clippers 120-111, but before that, they lost two games in a row. They’ve gone from the number three spot in the conference to the number six spot.

If they continue to be inconsistent, they might see themselves have to play for a spot in the playoffs. We’ll see if they fixed these issues in this one.

Game Preview: Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers March 19th

The Pistons rank among the league’s worst offensive and defensive combinations. On offense, they rank 29th, averaging 103.57 points per game. On the defensive side of the ball, the Pistons allow 112.43, ranking 23rd in the league.

The offense of the Cavaliers isn’t much to worry about for the Pistons; it’s their defense. If Detroit can’t put up points against this defense, they’ll lose.

The Cavaliers might not have a great offense, but they have a nearly perfect defense. This defense is responsible for many of the wins the Cavaliers have been able to amass this season.

On average, the Cavaliers only allow 103.69 points per game, ranking second in the NBA. They can use this defense against the struggling offense of the Detroit Pistons in Saturday’s game. 

Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Prediction

As we mentioned above, the Pistons have a pretty great record against the Cavaliers. Over their last three games, the Pistons have gone 2-1 against Cleveland. Their most recent game was in late February of 2022.

The Pistons come in as 5.5-point underdogs and walked away with a 106-103 win over the Cavaliers. The question is, can they pull off a win such as that again here?

As far as winning the game goes, we think the Cavaliers will be able to win this one at home. Cleveland has a 21-11 record at home, at the time of writing, while Detroit is 7-27 when on the road.

The Cavaliers have also had better showings on offense lately, scoring 120 points over the L.A. Clippers. It’s going to be a close one, though, so the spread will be a huge factor here.

If the Cavaliers come in as 5.5-point favorites again, we’d likely still take the Cavaliers. However, anything over that, and you’ll have to consider taking Detroit.

Sure, Cleveland is the better team, but they don’t often beat teams by a lot of points. For the total, we’d take the under considering Detroit’s offense and Cleveland’s defense.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.