Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons Prediction, 5/7/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons

Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026

Location: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI

TV: Prime Video

Odds/Point Spread: Cleveland (+3.5)

The Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30) are en route to Little Caesars Arena on Thursday where they will take on the Detroit Pistons (60-22) in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Detroit leads 1-0. Cleveland opens this matchup as 3.5-point dogs. The total is set at 215.5.

The Cavaliers took a loss by a final of 111-101 in Game 1. In regard to fouls, the Cavaliers finished with 22 while the Pistons finished the game with 18 fouls. They also knocked down 10 of 26 shots from distance. Detroit finished the game shooting 77.1% at the free throw line by making 27 of 35 shots. Furthermore, Detroit collected 45 rebounds (16 offensive, 29 defensive) and earned 5 blocked shots. Detroit dished out 23 assists and had 12 steals for this contest. When discussing defending, Cleveland let their opponent shoot 44.0% from the field on 37 out of 84 shooting. They also distributed 23 dimes in the matchup as well as creating 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When talking about rebounding, they compiled 41 with 11 of them being of the offensive sort. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cavaliers converted 15 of their 16 attempts for a rate of 93.8%. Cleveland finished the game having earned a 45.0% FG percentage (36 out of 80) and converted 14 of their 38 3-pointers.

Donovan Mitchell is one guy who was a major contributor in this game. He was able to score 23 points on 9 out of 19 shooting. He played for 35 mins and also totaled 4 boards. Mitchell finished the game at 47.4% from the floor and distributed 2 assists.

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Cleveland heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 52-30 on the campaign. They turn it over 14.0 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 19.6 fouls every game. As a team, Cleveland is snagging 44.4 rebounds per game and has totaled 2,321 dimes for the year, which is 8th in the league in terms of passing. The Cavaliers are hitting 36.0% on 3-pointers (1,173 of 3,261) and 77.6% from the free throw line. They average 119.5 points per outing (4th in basketball) while connecting on 48.2% from the floor.

Defensively, the Cavaliers are forcing their opponents into 15.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.5 fouls. They are giving up 37.2% on 3-pointers and they are 15th in the NBA in PPG allowed (115.4). The Cavaliers defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 46.4% (3,387 of 7,303) and they concede 43.2 rebounds per game as a unit. They are 16th in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 2,208 relinquished so far this year.

Detroit was impressive on both ends of the court in Game 1. When discussing attacking the glass, Detroit allowed Cleveland to pull down 41 in all (11 on the offensive glass). They shot 36.8% from 3-point land by shooting 14 out of 38 and walked away from this one shooting 15 of 16 from the free throw line (93.8%). The Pistons permitted the Cavaliers to knock down 36 out of their 80 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 45.0% for the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Pistons finished the game shooting 37 for 84 from the floor which had them sitting at 44.0%. In terms of shots from distance, Detroit buried 10 of 26 attempts (38.5%). They were able to make 27 of the free throws for a percentage of 77.1%. The Cavaliers were called for 22 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Pistons to the free throw line for 35 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 12 times, while earning 12 steals in this matchup. The Pistons were able to corral 29 defensive boards and 16 offensive boards totaling 45 in this contest.

Cade Cunningham ended up having an impact for the Pistons in this contest. He converted 6 of 19 for this game for a field goal rate of 31.6%, and had 3 rebounds. Cunningham recorded 23 points in his 42 mins of playing time and had 7 dimes for this game.

Detroit has a win-loss mark of 60-22 for the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Pistons are connecting on 48.5% from the floor, which is ranked 3rd in the league. Detroit has accounted for 9,657 pts for the season (117.8 per game) and they snag 45.6 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 27.8 times per contest (11th in basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 15.1 times per contest. The Pistons are responsible for committing 22.0 personal fouls per contest while shooting 76.3% from the charity stripe.

The Pistons on defense are ranked 3rd in basketball in PPG given up with 109.6. They are forcing 16.9 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.3% from the floor (3rd in the league). The Detroit defense allows 34.5% on 3-point shots (1,040 of 3,015) and opponents are converting on 78.8% of their foul shots. They give up 23.5 dimes and 40.5 rebounds every game, which is ranked 1st and 3rd in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Cleveland (+3.5)

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