The Pistons and Cavaliers continue their second-round series with Game 2 in Detroit on Thursday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Detroit is favored by 3.5 points and this game has a total of 215.5 points.

Let’s dive into my preview and pick for this matchup.

Pistons vs. Cavaliers preview

The Pistons and Cavaliers began this series with Game 1 in Detroit on Monday and the Pistons took care of business on their home floor, defeating the Cavaliers 111-101. Detroit led by as many as 18 points and led for the majority of the contest. Cleveland was able to rally and tie the game in the fourth quarter, but this tie was short lived. These teams were pretty even in most categories, but the Pistons bested the Cavaliers in second chance points, 19-11, and in fast break points, 15-6.

Detroit had six players score in double figures. Tobias Harris’s terrific playoff run continued with 20 points, marking his sixth straight showing of at least 20 points. Duncan Robinson also had his best performance of the postseason, scoring 19 points, including 5-of-8 from distance. Cade Cunningham finished with 23 points and seven assists, but it wasn’t an efficient night for the guard, as he shot 6-of-19 from the field and turned the ball over four times. Additionally, Jalen Duren’s struggles from the first round continued. The big man posted his second double-double in a row with 10 points and 12 rebounds, but Duren was just 4-of-11 from the field.

The Pistons walking away with a 10-point win despite Cunningham and Duren both having subpar games by their standards was impressive and is worrisome for the Cavaliers. Turnovers have been an issue for Cunningham all postseason – he leads all remaining players with 5.6 per game – and he needs to improve in this department if Detroit wants to contend for a title. Cunningham may continue to cough it up in Game 2, but him shooting the ball 31.6% again likely won’t happen. For the postseason, Cunningham is shooting 44% from the field.

There is reason to expect Duren could improve as a scorer, too, as he had outings of 24 and 33 points vs. the Cavaliers in the regular season. If Duren can even come close to providing this type of offense in Game 2, Detroit could run away with a win.

In the Game 1 loss for the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell led the way with 23 points. James Harden flirted with a triple-double, posting 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, but the former MVP turned the ball over seven times. Max Strus also added 19 points off the bench, as he took on a bigger role after Sam Merrill exited the game early with a hamstring injury. Merrill is questionable to play tonight and while a bench player, his absence would be notable, as Merrill ranks third for Cleveland in plus/minus this postseason.

Up front, Evan Mobley scored 14 points, but Jarrett Allen wasn’t a factor against Duren and the Pistons’ elite defense, scoring only two points on 1-of-4 shooting, after he went off for 22 points in the Game 7 win over the Raptors. Allen only logged 18 minutes, as the Cavaliers opted for more small ball lineups with Mobley at center. This was a mistake, though, as Allen has been huge for the Cavaliers this postseason, ranking first in plus/minus, while Mobley ranks dead last.

This postseason, Cleveland owns a +10.2 net rating with Allen on the floor, but a -8.2 with Mobley on. The problem is, having only one big on the floor makes sense when matching up with the Pistons, as they like to have four shooters surrounding Duren, so in the end, this really just isn’t an ideal matchup for Cleveland to utilize both Allen and Mobley heavily together.

Unless Mobley improves dramatically on both ends of the floor, this will be a big problem for the Cavaliers, as we all know he isn’t going to see his minutes cut, regardless if Allen is rated much better, simply due to Mobley being the bigger name who gets paid much more. Matching the Pistons’ small ball lineups will be an issue for the Cavaliers throughout this series and could be the deciding factor in Game 2 yet again.

Pistons vs. Cavaliers pick, best bet

The Pistons have been the better team than the Cavaliers all season and Detroit’s smaller lineups make this a poor matchup for Cleveland. On their home floor, where they are 35-10 this season, the Pistons should take the 2-0 series lead tonight.

After being a 3.5-point favorite in Game 1 and winning by 10 points, the Pistons are once again a 3.5-point favorite for Game 2. This really doesn’t make much sense and backing Detroit to cover is an easy decision. This season, the Cavaliers are a pitiful 17-28 ATS on the road.

Best Bet: Pistons -3.5 (-110)