NBA Tuesday Preview & Free Pick- Detroit at Cleveland

Back End of Home and Home Series

The Detroit Pistons head to Quicken Loans Arena Tuesday night on the backend of a home-and-home series against the bitter rival Cleveland Cavaliers. Game time for this Central Division tilt on NBA TV has been set for 7 p.m.  BetAnySports opened the Cavaliers as 8.5-point home favorites with the total set at 213.5. That line has now moved to have the Cavs as 7.5-point favorite and the total has jumped to 215.

The Pistons have gone 4-1, both straight-up and against the spread, in their last 5 games. The biggest victory in this run came in last Thursday’s 106-101 win against Cleveland as 4.5-point home underdogs. They went on to beat New York 112-92 on Saturday as 6.5-point favorites at home. The total stayed UNDER in both of those contests. Total points have stayed UNDER in four of their last six games. The road has not been kind to Detroit this year at 11-21 SU with a 12-20 record ATS.

Led by Reggie Jackson and Tobias Harris, the Pistons have been playing solid ball at both ends of the court. Jackson led the way in the first game against Cleveland with 21 points and all five starters ended that game in double figures. Harris went off for 28 points against the Knicks in a game led by a Pistons’ defense that is now ranked sixth in the NBA in points allowed (102.1).

Cavaliers Lead Down to Two Games in East

Cleveland’s lead in the Eastern Conference standings is down to just two games following its 3-6 slide both SU and ATS over its last nine games. This past Sunday’s 117-112 loss to Houston dropped its overall SU record to 43-22. The Cavaliers were able to cover against the Rockets as seven-point road underdogs to move their record ATS to 30-33-2. This includes a 16-15-2 mark ATS on their home court. The total has stayed UNDER BetAnySports’ closing line in three of their last four games.

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving accounted for well over half of Cleveland’s points on Sunday (58). Each player is averaging at least 25 points per game on an offense that is ranked third in the league in scoring with 110.7 points a game. Despite the fact that the Cavaliers shot a solid 52.5 percent from the field against the Rockets, their defensive effort at the other end of the court still came up short. Cleveland’s points-allowed average this season stands at 106.6, which is tied for 21^st in the NBA.

I am taking the Pistons and the 7.5 points at BetAnySports this Tuesday night given both team’s current form. Detroit might not pull off the SU sweep against its rivals, but it will keep things close enough to cover.