The Eastern Conference’s top team will be at home when the Cleveland Cavaliers (38-14) welcome the Detroit Pistons (27-27) to the Quicken Loans Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 22 and can be seen on FxO and FxD.
The Cavaliers enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Lakers 120-111 in their last matchup. Kyrie Irving was the game’s leading scorer with 35 points on 15-for-24 shooting. The Pistons, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 103-92 loss against the Nuggets in their last game. Detroit still lost despite the best efforts of Andre Drummond, who recorded his 45th double-double of the season with 15 points and 17 rebounds.
Irving has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Cavaliers. During that stretch, he has averaged 28.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.4 three-pointers.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Cavaliers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 114-106 win. In the victory, Kevin Love led all scorers on the team with 29 points.
The Cavaliers come into this game 40-14 Straight Up (SU) and 24-28-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 2-8 ATS. Cleveland is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.75. Turning to the defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Cavaliers. The 96.8 points that Cleveland’s defense allows per game makes them the fourth-ranked defense in the league.
In the other locker room, the Pistons have a record of 27-27-2 ATS and 27-29 SU. Against fellow division members, Detroit has a 5-4 SU and a 3-6 ATS record. Offensively, the Pistons have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 101.6 points per game by averaging 110.2 during that stretch.
In their previous meeting this season, Cleveland beat Detroit, bumping its SU record to 7-3 over the Pistons in their last 10 meetings. Furthermore, the Cavaliers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
Cleveland ranks eighth in points per game with 103.2, while Detroit ranks 12th in points allowed with an average of 101.1 given up.
Detroit ranks 19th in points allowed per road game (102.5 PPG), while Cleveland ranks eighth in points per home game with 106.1.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Cavaliers are 21-6 on the season. When the Pistons score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 6-19.
When the Cavaliers give up 100 or more points, they are 17-8. When the Pistons hit triple digits, they also have a winning record (21-8).
The Cavaliers have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (107.7). The Pistons are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 102.8 (ranked 13th).
Cleveland averages fewer possessions per game than Detroit, with 95.5 compared to 99.0. However, the Cavaliers score an average of 1.077 points per possession, more than the 1.028 that the Pistons score.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the league with an EFF% of 51.8%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Detroit Pistons have a poor 7-11 record.
On average, the Cleveland Cavaliers make 22.3 assists per game and the Detroit Pistons make 18.7. Cleveland is ranked 12th, while Detroit is ranked 27th.
Cleveland makes an average of 3.8 blocks per game (ranked 29th). Detroit ranks higher in blocks with 3.8 (ranked 28th).
The Cleveland Cavaliers rank ninth in offensive rebounding, while the Detroit Pistons rank 12th in defensive rebounding.
Detroit makes an average of 7.4 steals per game. Cleveland has a superb 21-7 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
