NBA Betting Picks: Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers

Raj J - March 19th, 2008 .

Wednesday night showcases a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s best and bitter rivals, when the Detroit Pistons visit the Cleveland Cavaliers. On paper, this may not appear to be a very important game; Detroit is comfortably in second place in the conference with only a slim chance of catching the front-running Boston Celtics or being caught by the Orlando Magic, while Cleveland holds a 3.5 game lead over the struggling Toronto Raptors for the No. 4 seed. Still, these Central Division rivals flat out dislike each other, a feeling only made stronger after the LeBron James-led Cavs shocked the Pistons in last season’s conference finals, so throw out the standings tonight and get ready for a battle.

Detroit is coming off a convincing win at home over the Denver Nuggets, a game in which it scored 136 points, including 56 from its bench. The win was the fifth in the past six games for the Pistons, who seem to be peaking at just the right time heading into the playoffs. Cleveland, meanwhile, is still getting comfortable after adding some new pieces at the trading deadline. Settling on a regular rotation has even more difficult for head coach Mike Brown due to injuries, as Sasha Pavlovic missed time and Daniel Gibson still out. As a result, the Cavs come in having lost three of its past four games.

LeBron James hasn’t been a part of problem for Cleveland, as he’s been doing a lot of everything at a high level all season long. The Pistons know all about what the league MVP candidate can do, as they witnessed first hand the dominance of King James last postseason. The current Cavaliers team hasn’t had enough time to gel, though, which makes Detroit an appealing play. Look for James to have another big game as usual, but to come up short as the streaking Pistons’ balance and depth carry them to a win over their rival. My pick Detroit Pistons (-1) , at -105 Bodoglife.com

DETROIT PISTONS OVER CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (-105)

 

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