Since the start of the 2015 NBA playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 15-6 straight up and 8-13 against the spread in 21 postseason games. The Cavaliers will try to take a 2-0 series lead over the Detroit Pistons with a win this Wednesday night in Cleveland.
Pistons vs. Cavaliers, 2016 NBA playoffs odds: Cleveland seeks 2-0 lead as double-digit chalk
The Cleveland Cavaliers can take a 2-0 series lead with a win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 of the series on Wednesday night.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland is a 10-point betting favorite in Wednesday’s Game 2 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In the team’s last eight games as a double-digit favorite, the Cavaliers are 7-1 SU and 2-6 ATS.
The Cavaliers were put to the test in their series opener against the Detroit Pistons, trailing by seven points early in the fourth quarter at home. Cleveland fought back to come away with a 106-101 victory, winning the game but failing to cover the 11-point spread.
It was a strong fourth quarter effort for a team that has had its consistency and mental toughness brought into question over the course of the season. The Cavaliers are 37-44-2 ATS this year.
Detroit has played well against the Cavaliers this season with a 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS record in five meetings between the two teams per the OddsShark NBA Database.
The Pistons have been playing great basketball since late March, stringing together a 10-4 SU and 8-5-1 ATS run to close out the regular season and then picking up another ATS win in Game 1.
If the first game of the series was any indication, the Pistons won’t be an easy out for the Cavaliers as Detroit looked comfortable trading blows with the defending Eastern Conference champions. The Pistons are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games as a double-digit underdog.
Wednesday’s total is set at 201 points at the sportsbooks. The OVER is 5-1 in the last six games between Cleveland and Detroit.
Finishing Game 1 off with a strong fourth quarter to erase a seven-point deficit was a good starting point to the series for the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers would prefer a less-contested win in Game 2, especially with road games to Detroit looming in Games 3 and 4.
But if the Pistons can keep shooting the ball well, especially from behind the three-point arc, they should be able to keep this one close.
