Detroit took both Games 1 and 2 at home, and are now up 2-0 in the series over the Cavaliers as they head to Cleveland. The Cavaliers are now 0-5 on the road in the playoffs and 4-0 at home, while the Pistons are 1-2 on the road so far.

Detroit shot 50% from three (14/28) in Game 2 compared to Cleveland's 22% (7/32), plus won the rebounding battle (42-36), which led to the Pistons' 107-97 win. The Pistons won both games versus the Cavaliers by 10 points behind their stellar defense and the super star play of Cade Cunningham's 24.0 points and 8.5 assists per game.

Cleveland finally had Donovan Mitchell break out the box a little bit with a game-high 31 points in Game 2, but it wasn't enough. Jarrett Allen added 22 points, but James Harden was the third-leading scorer for the Cavs with 10 points. Outside of Mitchell and Allen, the Cavaliers went a combined 16-of-48 (33.3%) from the field and 5-of-23 (21.7%) from three. Cleveland has the No. 3 rated offense at home in the playoffs compared to the ninth, so they will rely on the home crowd to get the role players more easily involved.

Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

After 24 years, the NBA is back on NBC and Peacock, combining the nostalgia of an iconic era with the innovative future of basketball coverage. The NBA on NBC YouTube channel delivers fans must-see highlights, analysis, and exclusive and unique content. 

Game Details and How to Watch Live: Cavaliers vs. Pistons

• Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026
• Time: 3:10 PM EST
• Site: Rocket Arena
• City: Cleveland, OH
• Network/Streaming: NBC / Peacock

Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest NBA Player News for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Game Odds: Cavaliers vs. Pistons

The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Detroit Pistons (+145), Cleveland Cavaliers (-175)
• Spread: Cavaliers -4.5
• Total: 211.5 points

This game opened Cavaliers -3.5 with the Total set at 213.5.

Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!

Expected Starting Lineups: Cavaliers vs. PistonsCleveland Cavaliers

• PG James Harden
• SG Donovan Mitchell
• SF Dean Wade
• PF Evan Mobley
• C Jarrett Allen

Detroit Pistons

• PG Cade Cunningham
• SG Duncan Robinson
• SF Ausar Thompson
• PF Tobias Harris
• C Jalen Duren

Injury Report: Pistons vs. CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers

• Sam Merrill (hamstring) is listed as QUESTIONABLE for Game 3. He missed Game 2.

Detroit Pistons

• Kevin Huerter (hip) is listed as QUESTIONABLE for Game 3. He missed Game 2.

Important stats, trends and insights: Pistons vs. Magic

• Detroit is 49-42 ATS 
• Detroit is 49-41-1 to the Under
• Detroit is 24-19-1 to the Under as the road team and 5-4-1 as the road underdog
• Cleveland is an NBA-worst 36-55 ATS
• Cleveland is 19-26 ATS at home, ranking second-worst
• Cleveland is 18-24 ATS as a home favorite, ranking fifth-worst
• Cleveland is 25-20 to the Under at home
• Cleveland is 23-19 to the Under as a home favorite

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Saturday’s Cavaliers and Pistons’ game:

• Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Cavaliers’ Moneyline
• Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Cavaliers -4.5 ATS
• Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 211.5

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) 
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) 
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)