The Cleveland Cavaliers are always happy to face off against their Central Division rival, Detroit, especially when they're in the hunt for a good playoff seed.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers are always happy to face off against their Central Division rival, Detroit, especially when they’re in the hunt for a good playoff seed. They’ve won the last eight games against Detroit, including three this season. When they play Detroit on Friday night, they’ll be aiming to keep that streak going and complete a four-game sweep for the season.
In their last games, both teams were in Chicago, but the outcomes were a bit unexpected. The Pistons managed to grab their ninth win of the season, breaking a six-game losing streak with a 105-95 win over the Bulls on Tuesday. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, lost a nail-biting double-overtime game to Chicago, 132-123, the next evening.
Cleveland’s defeat happened just a day after Max Strus’ incredible 59-foot shot secured a win against Dallas. Chicago dominated the Cavs on the boards, outrebounding them 74-39, and also outscored them 31-11 at the free-throw line. DeMar DeRozan from the Bulls made three crucial free throws with only 12 seconds left in the first overtime, which helped extend the game.
For the Pistons, Sasser will not be playing the game due to a knee injury. As for the Cavaliers, Jerome (ankle injury) and Thompson (suspended) will be sitting this one out.
Cleveland is currently in a battle with Milwaukee for the top spot in the Central Division and the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, just behind Boston. In the last game between the Cavs and the Pistons on January 31st, Donovan Mitchell had an incredible performance, scoring 45 points and dishing out eight assists in a 128-121 victory.
Out of the 11 players who played for the Pistons that night, six are no longer with the team. Detroit made some big changes to their lineup before the trade deadline and has been making more adjustments since then.
Their star player, Cade Cunningham, has been playing at a higher level in the four games since the All-Star break. He’s been putting up impressive numbers, averaging 28.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game during that time.
Cunningham scored 26 points and dished out five assists against the Bulls. The Pistons had a strong second half, outscoring the Bulls 55-40. This was the first time since October 27th that Detroit managed to keep an opponent under 100 points.
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