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After a nine-day break the Cavs start the final push to the playoffs on the road against the woeful Detroit Pistons. The Pistons are 13-45 overall, 8-20 at home, and have lost 14 of their last 17.
One of those wins, however, was on Jan. 30 against the Cavs. The Pistons overcame a 15-0 deficit and came from behind in the 4th quarter to win 115-105. Afterward the Cavs talked about how they underestimated the Pistons and came in complacent after a huge win over Milwaukee. Hopefully they’ll take them more seriously this time.
Saddiq Bey torched the Cavs for 31 points and Cade Cunningham had a triple-double with a line of 19/10/10. Undersized center Isaiah Stewart (6’8”) chipped in 14 points and 12 boards. Frank Jackson came off the bench smoking hot and had 19 points in 25 minutes. Jeremi Grant and Kelly Olynyk, who have missed much of the season with injuries, did not play but will be available tonight. The Pistons will have more firepower than last time.
Grant, the Pistons leading scorer at 19.0 points per game, had 24 against Boston as the Pistons snapped the Celtics nine-game win streak in the last game before the break. Olynyk had 15 points in only 17 minutes. With everybody healthy I think the Pistons have a lot more talent than their record indicates. Olynyk and Grant have played only 21 and 33 games, respectively. The Pistons are in better shape now than they've been in a long time.
Statistically the Pistons are awful, ranking 29th in scoring and 27th in scoring defense. Offensively they’re 29th in effective field goal percentage, 29th in 3-point percentage, 30th and last in 2-point percentage, 26th in assists, and 23rd in turnovers. They are near the bottom in assists and shooting percentage and they turn it over a lot. But with Grant and Olynyk back to augment Cunningham, Bey, and Stewart they should improve on those numbers. This team has some individual talent for sure.
Defensively they’re 28th in effective field goal percentage, last in 3-point percentage, and last in fouls per play. They’re above average in blocks and steals, but they hack more than anybody and they’re awful at preventing buckets, especially on 3-point shots. They’re also below average at defensive rebounding as they have no starters over 6'8".
On paper the Pistons should have no chance but they beat the Celtics in Boston their last game and they beat the Cavs by 10 without Grant and Olynyk so the Cavs need to approach this game like it will be a dog fight.
The Pistons are not good shooters so if the Cavs can control the defensive glass they should be in good shape. Grant is shooting only 41.6% from the field. Bey is at 38.8%, Cunningham 39.4%, and Frank Jackson is at 41.0%. These guys miss a lot of shots so as long as the Cavs don’t give them too many second chance points they should be fine.
The Pistons are average at offensive rebounding, but they killed the Cavs on the offensive glass last game as Stewart had 7 and Cade had 5. In all the Pistons had 16 offensive rebounds which was a big reason they scored 115 points despite not having their leading scorer.
The Cavs need to do much better at keeping Stewart and Cunningham from getting offensive rebounds.
The Pistons bench won the game for them as all four bench players were between +13 and +21. The Cavs bench was between -5 and -10 except for Stevens. Love needs to have a better game this time around.
Unfortunately for the Cavs, Garland and LeVert are out which is a huge blow. Rondo and Goodwin will have to hold down the fort at point guard. Markkanen is listed as probable, but he hasn't played in over a month.
So the Cavs need to bring their A game. The Pistons just stopped the Celtics 9-game winning streak and they know they can beat the Cavs, having done it less than four weeks ago. I’m expecting a very competitive game, but I’m sure the Cavs remember the last game and will be looking to get some payback. However, with Garland out I’m not real optimistic the Cavs can beat anybody. The Cavs say he's going to be a day-to-day call for the rest of the season. The Rubio injury is really going to hurt unless Rondo can turn back the clock.
One of those wins, however, was on Jan. 30 against the Cavs. The Pistons overcame a 15-0 deficit and came from behind in the 4th quarter to win 115-105. Afterward the Cavs talked about how they underestimated the Pistons and came in complacent after a huge win over Milwaukee. Hopefully they’ll take them more seriously this time.
Saddiq Bey torched the Cavs for 31 points and Cade Cunningham had a triple-double with a line of 19/10/10. Undersized center Isaiah Stewart (6’8”) chipped in 14 points and 12 boards. Frank Jackson came off the bench smoking hot and had 19 points in 25 minutes. Jeremi Grant and Kelly Olynyk, who have missed much of the season with injuries, did not play but will be available tonight. The Pistons will have more firepower than last time.
Grant, the Pistons leading scorer at 19.0 points per game, had 24 against Boston as the Pistons snapped the Celtics nine-game win streak in the last game before the break. Olynyk had 15 points in only 17 minutes. With everybody healthy I think the Pistons have a lot more talent than their record indicates. Olynyk and Grant have played only 21 and 33 games, respectively. The Pistons are in better shape now than they've been in a long time.
Statistically the Pistons are awful, ranking 29th in scoring and 27th in scoring defense. Offensively they’re 29th in effective field goal percentage, 29th in 3-point percentage, 30th and last in 2-point percentage, 26th in assists, and 23rd in turnovers. They are near the bottom in assists and shooting percentage and they turn it over a lot. But with Grant and Olynyk back to augment Cunningham, Bey, and Stewart they should improve on those numbers. This team has some individual talent for sure.
Defensively they’re 28th in effective field goal percentage, last in 3-point percentage, and last in fouls per play. They’re above average in blocks and steals, but they hack more than anybody and they’re awful at preventing buckets, especially on 3-point shots. They’re also below average at defensive rebounding as they have no starters over 6'8".
On paper the Pistons should have no chance but they beat the Celtics in Boston their last game and they beat the Cavs by 10 without Grant and Olynyk so the Cavs need to approach this game like it will be a dog fight.
The Pistons are not good shooters so if the Cavs can control the defensive glass they should be in good shape. Grant is shooting only 41.6% from the field. Bey is at 38.8%, Cunningham 39.4%, and Frank Jackson is at 41.0%. These guys miss a lot of shots so as long as the Cavs don’t give them too many second chance points they should be fine.
The Pistons are average at offensive rebounding, but they killed the Cavs on the offensive glass last game as Stewart had 7 and Cade had 5. In all the Pistons had 16 offensive rebounds which was a big reason they scored 115 points despite not having their leading scorer.
The Cavs need to do much better at keeping Stewart and Cunningham from getting offensive rebounds.
The Pistons bench won the game for them as all four bench players were between +13 and +21. The Cavs bench was between -5 and -10 except for Stevens. Love needs to have a better game this time around.
Unfortunately for the Cavs, Garland and LeVert are out which is a huge blow. Rondo and Goodwin will have to hold down the fort at point guard. Markkanen is listed as probable, but he hasn't played in over a month.
So the Cavs need to bring their A game. The Pistons just stopped the Celtics 9-game winning streak and they know they can beat the Cavs, having done it less than four weeks ago. I’m expecting a very competitive game, but I’m sure the Cavs remember the last game and will be looking to get some payback. However, with Garland out I’m not real optimistic the Cavs can beat anybody. The Cavs say he's going to be a day-to-day call for the rest of the season. The Rubio injury is really going to hurt unless Rondo can turn back the clock.
