The Detroit Pistons will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 31 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Arena. This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season. Detroit lost both two matchups and will look to score the win in the upcoming matchup. The Pistons will be confident against Cleveland as they are coming off a great 120-104 win against the OKC Thunder on Sunday.
The Cavaliers are coming off back-to-back wins, including a 118-108 win over the LA Clippers on Monday. They are 10-1 in their last 11 games and will be favorites to remain defeated against the Pistons on Wednesday. Jalen Duren played his best NBA game in the Pistons’ win over the Thunder. He scored 22 points, 21 rebounds and six assists. He will need to keep this up and hopefully Cade Cunningham will be available as the shooting guard is dealing with a knee injury.
Preview
Duren’s stellar performance against the OKC Thunder may be the breakthrough the Pistons have been waiting for from their center. He outplayed Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams in that game. If he can maintain that form and develop even better chemistry with Cunningham, the Pistons will be competitive. Evan Mobley’s return has made the Cavaliers even stronger. He was sidelined for six weeks after undergoing knee surgery. Now the duo of Mobley and Jarrett Allen is back, which will reinforce the great play of Donovan Mitchell. Considering the way Cleveland is playing, it will be tough to beat them at home.
Expected Starting lineup
If Cade Cunningham is cleared to play on Wednesday, he will start the game for the Pistons. If not, Killian Hayes will play as the point guard. Isaiah Stewart is out with an ankle sprain. Ausar Thompson could take over his role. Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Bojan Bogdanovic will complete their starting five. The starting five for the Cleveland Cavaliers will include Evan Mobley, Isaac Okoro, Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus.
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Prediction
The Cavaliers have had some big wins since the beginning of 2024. They just defeated the LA Clippers, who were arguably the strongest team prior to their matchup. The Cleveland Cavaliers are likely to extend their winning streak to three, but the Pistons can cover the +12.5 spread. Both teams are averaging a combined 226.5 points per game, which is over/under the 228.5 total points line. Betting under will be a great choice.
