The Eastern Conference’s top team will be on the road when the Cleveland Cavaliers (32-12) head to The Palace of Auburn Hills to challenge the Detroit Pistons (24-21). Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 29 and can be seen on FxO and FxD.
The Pistons enter this game hoping for similar success after edging the Jazz 95-92 on Monday. Reggie Jackson was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points on 12-for-19 shooting. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 115-93 win against the Suns on Wednesday. LeBron James led the game in scoring by registering 21 points on 7-for-8 shooting.
Expect this one to be a clinic on boxing out, as two of the NBA’s top rebounding teams face off. Detroit is among the league’s best on the offensive glass, ranking second in offensive rebound percentage at 28.6%. Meanwhile, Cleveland ranks third in the NBA at corralling defensive boards with a defensive rebound percentage of 79.0%.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first matchup 104-99. Andre Drummond put up a double-double in the victory with 25 points and 18 rebounds.
The Cavaliers take on the Pistons as a four-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 205 points. The Pistons have gone 25-21 Straight Up (SU) and 25-19-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have the same record SU and ATS against divisional opponents, going 5-4.
In the other locker room, the Cavaliers have a record of 19-23-2 ATS and 32-12 SU. Against fellow division members, Cleveland has a 2-4 SU and ATS record.
Detroit beat Cleveland in their most recent meeting this season, but the win was not enough to overtake Cleveland in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, ATS Winner – Cle, O/U – Under
Notes
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Detroit’s last 16 games at home.
Detroit is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Cleveland.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit’s last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Cleveland is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Detroit.
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit.
Cleveland is struggling at 2-4 SU in its division, while Detroit is 5-4 SU.
Cleveland ranks 16th in points per game with 101.6, while Detroit ranks 10th in points allowed with an average of 100.0 given up.
Cleveland puts up an average of 98.7 points per away game (ranked 20th), while Detroit gives up 97.9 points per home game (ranked eighth).
Detroit has a winning 18-7 record this season when it gives up under 100 points in a game. Cleveland is sitting at an even 10-10 record when it scores under 100.
The Detroit Pistons have a losing 6-14 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 22-2 when they hit triple digits.
The Pistons have an offensive rating of 102.6 (ranked 18th). The Cavaliers rank fifth for their defensive rating of 100.8.
Detroit averages 99.2 possessions per game, scoring 1.026 points on each possession. While Cleveland averages fewer possessions per game with 95.2, the team scores more points per possession with 1.066.
Cleveland is the sixth-ranked team in the NBA in average effective field goal percentage at 51.3%. Detroit is 6-9 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Detroit makes an average of 19.0 assists per game (ranked 27th). Cleveland ranks higher in assists with 22.4 (ranked 10th).
The Detroit Pistons average 3.7 blocks per game for a rank of 27th. The Cleveland Cavaliers rank lower (28th), earning 3.7 blocks each 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 10th).
On average, Detroit makes 7.6 steals per game. Cleveland has a winning 19-7 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
