Cavaliers vs. Pistons NBA playoff series pick with Detroit favored at -3.5

The NBA Playoffs began their second round on Monday. We were invited to two games and one was significantly better than the other. That should probably be the expectation for Tuesday’s slate as well. Regardless of how the game goes, if we can cash in some betting slips, that’s really the main goal here. I hope Cavaliers vs. Pistons will be a more entertaining game tonight and I have a bet on us in that game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a bit of a makeover this season, but the first round of the playoffs was essentially the same result they’ve always had. They traded Darius Garland for James Harden and Dennis Schroder. That didn’t happen in the same trade, but it did give the team a new look after starting the year with Garland, Lonzo Ball and DeAndre Hunter. This team will only go as far as Harden and Donovan Mitchell take it.

In the first round, the Cavaliers looked like a really bad team. They won four games at home and lost all three on the road. To be fair to them, they had at least two of those games in Toronto that were winnable. While they won home games, they didn’t exactly dominate the Raptors. Game 7 was pretty sweat-free, with a 12-point win, but they were lucky not to have Brandon Ingram suit up for Toronto. I see both Evan Mobley and Harden as the keys to winning this series for the Cavaliers.

The Detroit Pistons got a little wake-up call. They made the playoffs as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, but didn’t look like they were part of a dominant team in the first round. They hosted the Magic and lost the first game. They then lost two of the next three games, falling 3-1 in the series. They won, as expected, in Game 5 at home, but Game 6 was wild. They were down and seemed to come out of it in the second half. The Magic scored just 19 points in the second half and Detroit forced a game seven.

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham dribbles the ball as Indiana Pacers guard Ethan Thompson defends during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 12, 2026. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Image Images)

In Game 7, the Pistons clinched it and were in control from the end. It was an epic collapse for the Magic and probably a disaster that cost their coach his job. The Pistons ended up winning by 22. As a result, they expanded their coach. Interestingly, JB Bickerstaff, the coach, was fired from Cleveland in part due to lack of playoff success. You should be very familiar with the Cavs players and their strengths and weaknesses. I hope he’s an X factor if he can exploit the weaknesses.

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In this series, expect Mitchell and Cade Cunningham to cancel each other out from a scoring perspective. Jarrett Allen and Mobley will provide a variety of defense for Jalen Duren. The Pistons’ advantage will be Tobias Harris. For the Cavaliers, Mobley will be a tough matchup. Harden is also a guy who could have some mismatches.

Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons smiles after the game against the Toronto Raptors at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan on December 30, 2023. (Chris Schwegler/NBAE)

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This is the closest series in terms of price, with the Pistons as slight favorites. Three of the four regular season games were very close and all three were decided by four points or less. Both won two games, one away and one at home. I don’t expect this to be a defensive series. It’s not the game either of us really wants to play. But I think the Pistons are locked in. I haven’t seen many good things from the Cavaliers on the road in the playoffs. Give me the Pistons -3.5 here.

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