The Cleveland Cavaliers head to The Palace of Auburn Hills to take on the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The game begins at 8:30 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 24 and can be seen on TNT, FxO and FxD.
The Pistons lost to the Cavaliers 101-91 on Friday. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the team’s leading scorer, finishing with 18 points.
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 26.7%. Meanwhile, Cleveland ranks fourth in the NBA at corralling defensive boards with a defensive rebound percentage of 78.6%.
The Pistons enter the game with records of 44-41 Straight Up (SU) and 43-39-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have been able to pull off wins at home against opponents within their division, going 7-3 SU, but only have a record of 2-8 ATS.
In the other locker room, the Cavaliers head into the game with records of 39-44-2 ATS and 60-25 SU. Cleveland has records of 10-9 SU and ATS against the Central. The Cavaliers are one of the top defensive teams in the league, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 98.2 points allowed per game.
Cleveland won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. At 5-5, they are even ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
Detroit scores an average of 101.7 points per game (ranked 20th), while Cleveland gives up 98.2 points per game (ranked fourth).
Detroit ranks 13th in the league with 104.7 points per home game. Cleveland allows just 98.1 points per away game (ranked third).
The Detroit Pistons have a winning record (27-11) when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 12-16 when they don’t hit triple digits.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Pistons are just 17-30 this season. Cleveland is an outstanding 48-9 when it hits the century mark.
The Pistons have an offensive rating of 104.0 (ranked 14th). The Cavaliers rank ninth for their defensive rating of 102.9.
The Detroit Pistons average 97.8 possessions per game and 1.040 points per possession, while the Cleveland Cavaliers earn fewer possessions (95.5) but more points per possession (1.092).
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with an EFF% of 52.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Detroit Pistons have a poor 10-18 record.
Detroit makes an average of 19.5 assists per game (ranked 27th). Cleveland ranks higher in assists with 22.7 (ranked 13th).
The Detroit Pistons average 3.7 blocks per game for a rank of 29th. The Cleveland Cavaliers rank higher (27th), earning 3.8 blocks each contest.
Detroit ranks among the best in the league in offensive rebounding at second, while Cleveland is a top-10 team in defensive rebounding (ranked 10th).
The Detroit Pistons make an average of 7.0 steals per game. When the Cleveland Cavaliers allow 6 or more steals, they are a solid 43-20.
