Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 01/03/2024, 03:23  by Joseph King | Modified on 01/03/2024 at 03:23 in NBA Predictions

Friday evening in the NBA sees the 14th-place Detroit Pistons host the second-placed Cleveland Cavaliers for this Eastern Conference matchup. Detroit fans can finally celebrate after a 105-95 away win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday means they are officially no longer the worst team in the league. The victory brought the Pistons’ up to 9-49 on the season, putting them a half game ahead of the Washington Wizards for the ignominious title. It was also the Pistons’ best defensive performance of the year, holding Chicago to 39% from the field and just 6% (2 for 29) from three-point range. The result snapped a six-game losing run for the team and marked their third victory in the last 10 games overall. Detroit will now attempt to win back-to-back games for the fourth time in the 2023/24 season. Since the historically bad stretch which saw them lose 28 straight games, the Pistons have managed to win seven of their last 27 games (.259 winning percentage).

The Cavaliers will be looking to bounce back following a wild 132-123 double-overtime away defeat to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. The loss was Cleveland’s third in their last five games overall, bringing their record to 38-20 on the season. The slight downturn in form combined with the Bucks on a four-game winning streak means that the Cavaliers are now even with third-placed Milwaukee and trail first-place Boston by eight games. While they’ve lost a few of their recent outings, the Cavs are still on a red-hot overall run, posting a 20-6 record since the turn of the new year. The Cavaliers started logged heavy minutes in the loss to Chicago and have subsequently seen star Donovan Mitchell listed on the injury report as questionable with left knee soreness.