The Cleveland Cavaliers (57-25) will be at home when they play the Detroit Pistons (44-38) in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The game starts at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 17 and will air on ABC.
The Cavaliers are expecting a better outcome after their 112-110 loss to the Pistons on Wednesday. Jordan McRae was the game’s leading scorer with 36 points.
The Cavaliers are hoping to build on their records of 57-25 Straight Up (SU) and 37-43-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 10-6 SU and 9-7 ATS against teams from their own division. It’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Cavaliers. The 98.3 points that Cleveland’s defense allows per game makes them the fourth-ranked defense in the league.
As for their opponent, the Pistons have 44-38 SU and 42-37-3 ATS records. Detroit has records of 8-8 SU and 4-12 ATS against the Central.
In their previous meeting this season, Detroit beat Cleveland, but the win was not enough to overtake Cleveland in the most recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the last 10 meetings. At 5-5, they are even ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
Cleveland ranks eighth in points per game with 104.3, while Detroit ranks 12th in points allowed with an average of 101.3 given up.
Detroit has allowed an average of 102.7 points per away game this season. Cleveland averages 106.6 points per home game, placing the team fifth in scoring.
In its last game, Detroit won by a margin of two points. Cleveland is 4-7 in games decided by three points or less. Detroit has a 6-5 record in close games.
The Detroit Pistons have a winning 27-11 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 12-16 when they score less than 100.
The Detroit Pistons have a poor 17-27 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 45-9 when they hit the century mark.
The Pistons have an offensive rating of 103.9 (ranked 16th), while the Cavaliers rank ninth for their defensive rating of 102.8.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the league with a FG% of 46.0%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Detroit Pistons have an underachieving 17-28 record.
Cleveland averages 29.0 three point attempts per game, and Detroit attempts 26.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Cavaliers have a solid 42-20 record while the Pistons have a 26-25 record.
Cleveland has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.76 this season (ranked eighth), while Detroit ranks lower at 23rd with an A/TO of 1.50.
With 46.3 per game, Detroit ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at second. Cleveland ranks ninth with 44.5.
Cleveland ranks in the top half of the NBA in defensive rebounding at 11th, while Detroit ranks near the top of the league (second) in offensive rebounding.
The Pistons’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 13.2% this season. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a winning 29-16 record when their TOV% is 13.2% or higher.
