Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, 5/9/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026

Location: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH

TV: NBC

Odds/Point Spread: Detroit (+4.5)

The Detroit Pistons (60-22) are on their way to Rocket Arena on Saturday where they will go up against the Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30) in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Detroit leads 2-0. Detroit opens this game as 4.5-point underdogs from oddsmakers. The betting total is set at 211.5.

The Pistons walked away with a win by a score of 107-97 in Game 2. In the matter of fouls, the Pistons ended up finishing with 22 while the Cavaliers recorded 19 fouls. They knocked down 7 of their 32 attempts from distance. Cleveland ended up going 81.5% from the free throw line by making 22 of their 27 shots. Moreover, Cleveland pulled down 36 boards (9 offensive, 27 defensive) and earned 5 blocks. Cleveland doled out 20 dimes and had 7 steals in the game. In regard to the defense, Detroit allowed their opponent to shoot 42.0% from the floor on 34 out of 81 shooting. They also doled out 21 assists for this game as well as forcing 11 turnovers and getting 9 steals. In terms of grabbing boards, they earned 42 with 12 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Pistons converted 15 of their 20 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. Detroit ended the game having earned a 48.8% field goal percentage (39 of 80) and converted 14 out of their 28 shots from beyond the arc.

Cade Cunningham is one guy who was a factor for the matchup. Cunningham ended up going 50.0% from the floor and earned 10 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 42 mins played and also grabbed 3 rebounds. He accumulated 25 points on 7 out of 14 shooting.

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Detroit heads into this one with a win-loss mark of 60-22 this year. They are giving up possession 15.1 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 22.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Detroit is collecting 45.6 boards per contest and has racked up 2,281 dimes so far this season, which is 11th in the NBA in terms of passing. The Pistons are connecting on 35.6% on 3-pointers (902 of 2,534) and 76.3% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 117.8 pts per game (8th in the league) while connecting on 48.5% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Pistons are forcing 16.9 turnovers per contest while drawing 21.3 fouls. They currently rank 1st in the league in giving up assists with 1,925 surrendered on the season. The Pistons are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 44.3% (3,096 of 6,988) and they surrender 40.5 boards per game as a basketball team. They relinquish 34.5% on shots from downtown and they are 3rd in the league in PPG allowed (109.6).

Cleveland was unable to steal Game 2 on the road to even the series. The Cavaliers were able to collect 27 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 36 in the game. They gave up possession 11 times, while getting 7 steals for the contest. The Pistons earned 22 personal fouls for the contest which took the Cavaliers to the free throw line for a total of 27 tries. They were able to convert 22 of the free throw tries for a rate of 81.5%. When talking about 3-point shots, Cleveland made 7 of their 32 tries (21.9%). When the final whistle blew, the Cavaliers ended up going 34 out of 81 from the field which had them shooting 42.0%. The Cavaliers allowed the Pistons to knock down 39 of 80 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 48.8% for the game. They wrapped up this game 50.0% from three-point range by connecting on 14 out of 28 and ended up shooting 15 out of 20 at the free throw line (75.0%). When it comes to team rebounding, Cleveland permitted Detroit to pull down 42 in total (12 on the offensive side).

Donovan Mitchell ended up having an impact for the Cavaliers for the contest. Mitchell scored 31 points in his 37 mins on the hardwood and totaled 3 assists in this game. He buried 11 out of 24 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 45.8%, and earned 6 rebounds.

Cleveland has a mark of 52-30 this year. The Cavaliers are committing 19.6 fouls per contest while shooting 77.6% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 28.3 times per game (8th in the league) and they are giving up possession 14.0 times per game. Cleveland has scored 9,801 pts on the year (119.5 per game) and they collect 44.4 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cavaliers are shooting 48.2% from the field, which ranks them 8th in basketball.

The Cavaliers defensively are ranked 15th in basketball in points given up per game with 115.4. They have forced 15.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 46.4% from the field (8th in basketball). The Cleveland defense gives up 37.2% on shots from 3-point land (1,163 of 3,127) and opponents are making 79.4% of their foul shots. They surrender 26.9 assists and 43.2 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 16th and 12th in basketball.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Detroit (+4.5)

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