The Eastern Conference’s top team will be on the road when the Cleveland Cavaliers (8-2) head to The Palace of Auburn Hills to play the Detroit Pistons (5-5). Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Nov. 17 and can be seen on FxO and FxD.
The Pistons are hoping for a better outcome after their 97-85 loss to the Lakers on Sunday. Spencer Dinwiddie had a solid performance, putting up 17 points, four assists, and two rebounds for Detroit. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their close 108-105 loss against the Bucks on Saturday. Cleveland still lost despite the best efforts of LeBron James, who recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 37 points and 12 rebounds.
The Cavaliers take on the Pistons as a five-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 195 points. The Pistons have the same record (5-5) both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS).
In the other locker room, the Cavaliers have a record of 3-7 ATS and 8-2 SU. Despite having a winning record against the Eastern Conference, Cleveland is unsuccessful ATS in those games with a record of 2-6. The Cavaliers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fifth in the NBA at 1.69. Moving on to Cleveland’s defense, the Cavaliers allow just 95.6 points per game, ranking them fourth in the league. The Cleveland defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 7.0 field goals from three-point range per game. Defensive rebounding is an area where Cleveland has excelled. The Cavaliers average 33.7 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the league.
The divisional foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Cleveland came out on top, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, ATS Winner – Cle, O/U – Under
Notes
Detroit is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Detroit’s last 9 games.
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Detroit’s last 13 games at home.
Detroit is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit’s last 7 games when playing Cleveland.
Detroit is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Cleveland.
Detroit is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Cleveland.
Detroit is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit’s last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Detroit scores an average of 96.6 points per game (ranked 24th), while Cleveland gives up 95.6 points per game (ranked fourth).
Detroit averages 96.6 points per home game, placing the team just 29th in the league. Cleveland ranks fourth in points allowed on the road, giving up 93.0 points per away game.
When the Pistons give up fewer than 100 points to their opponents, they are 4-2. When the Cavaliers score fewer than 100 points, they also have a winning record (2-1).
The Detroit Pistons have a losing 1-3 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 6-1 when they hit triple digits.
The Pistons have an offensive rating of 97.9 (ranked 28th). The Cavaliers rank seventh for their defensive rating of 98.3.
The Detroit Pistons average 98.7 possessions per game and .979 points per possession, while the Cleveland Cavaliers earn fewer possessions (98.0) but more points per possession (1.049).
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the league with an EFF% of 51.0%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Detroit Pistons have a losing 1-3 record.
Cleveland, the fourth-ranked team in terms of assists, makes an average of 24.0 per game. Detroit ranks lower at 30th with 16.4.
Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons fall near the bottom of the league when it comes to blocking. Cleveland ranks 23rd with an average of 4.3 per game, while Detroit ranks last with 3.2 per game.
The Detroit Pistons average the most offensive rebounds this season, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked fifth).
Detroit makes 7.9 steals per game on average. In games where it allows 7 or more steals, Cleveland is undefeated at 5-0.
