The Cleveland Cavaliers have been sputtering lately, but nothing compared to the struggles the Detroit Pistons are currently experiencing. Detroit has lost eight consecutive games to drop outside of the top eight seeds in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit wants to get back on track but must knock off the Cavaliers to do so. Cleveland has been up and down of late and must hit the road, so this won’t be the easiest game for it to claim. The Pistons could use a win badly and the spread will likely be pretty small for this matchup.
This is the type of game that is likely to come down to the final few minutes, with the team that hits the big shots claiming the win.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, January 30, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are 29-19 straight up and 14-33-1 against the spread as they have badly underperformed expectations. Cleveland has covered in nine of 24 attempts on the road. The Cavs are 8-30-1 against the spread as the favorite and 5-3 as the underdog, so they may actually prefer to be projected to lose.
The Pistons are 22-26 straight up and 24-22-2 against the spread. Detroit has gone 10-12-1 against the spread at home this season. The Pistons have also been better as the underdog than the favorite this season.
Last Meeting
These teams faced off on Sunday, so there won’t be many secrets as they meet again, but this time in Detroit. The Cavs played well when they faced off, as LeBron James had 25 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds in a 121-104 win.
The game was close going into the fourth quarter, but Cleveland outscored Detroit by 14 points in the final stanza to cruise to the win. Kevin Love had a nice game as well, scoring 20 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.
Detroit was led by Tobias Harris, who had 20 points in only 27 minutes of action, but shot only 42 percent from the floor while Cleveland hit on better than 50 percent of their field goals. The Pistons will need to clamp down on defense to have a chance at returning the favor and knocking off Cleveland.
Injury Report
The Pistons’ fall has coincided with the loss of star point guard Reggie Jackson to a severely sprained ankle. Jackson is expected to be back on the court in February or early March and the Pistons are trying to stay relevant so he can help them make a playoff push when he returns.
Jackson is averaging 14.6 points and 5.5 assists on the season and his loss has certainly been felt.
The Cavaliers are expected to get shooting guard Dwyane Wade back in this one. He missed a pair of games after the death of his agent. Wade isn’t a star like he used to be but is still a useful piece. Wade is averaging 11.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game on the season.
He should have fresh legs for this contest.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Detroit should have a chance at winning this game by playing at home. However, the Cavaliers seem to be playing a little bit better of late and definitely have the more talented team.
Everyone has been waiting a long time for Cleveland to finally turn it on and maybe the inconsistency is finally gone.
Don’t count on it. If the Cavs are the favorites, it is normal for bettors to ride with them, but the right choice will be to take the Pistons to cover. Detroit might not win this game but if it gets a few points it could make all the difference.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 107, Pistons 105
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
