Cavaliers vs. Pistons Prediction, Odds and Best Prop Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 1

Fresh off of Game 7 wins on Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons square off in the second round of the playoffs on Tuesday night.

Cleveland went 4-0 at home in the first round, downing the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third season in a row. The Cavs have not won more than one game in the second round in the Donovan Mitchell era, but they are just +105 underdogs to win this series.

Detroit is favored to win Game 1 and the series, but it needed seven games – and the 15th 3-1 comeback in league history – to knock off the No.8-seeded Orlando Magic in the first round. Cade Cunningham was terrific in that series, but can he carry a Detroit offense that has struggled so far in the 2026 postseason?

Oddsmakers seem to think he can in Game 1, setting the Pistons as 3.5-point favorites at home. Detroit and Cleveland split their four regular-season matchups, so it makes sense that this series is expected to go six or more games with the OVER for the series total of 5.5 juiced to -190.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for Game 1 on Tuesday night.

Cavaliers vs. Pistons Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Cavs +3.5 (-115)
Pistons -3.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Cavs: +124
Pistons: -148

Total

214.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Cavaliers vs. Pistons How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, May 5
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Little Caesars Arena
How to Watch (TV): NBCSN/Peacock
Series: Tied 0-0

Cavaliers vs. Pistons Injury Reports

Cavs Injury Report

None to report

Pistons Injury Report

Kevin Huerter – questionable

Cavaliers vs. Pistons Best NBA Prop Bets

Pistons Best NBA Prop Bet

Cade Cunningham UNDER 28.5 Points (-108)

Cade Cunningham had a huge first-round series against Orlando, but he faces a Cleveland team that has a lot of rim protection in the second round.

The Cavs actually gave Cade a ton of problems in the regular season:

Oct. 27: 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting
Jan. 4: 27 points on 7-of-22 shooting
Feb 27: 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting (in overtime)
March 3: 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting

The Cavs don’t have an elite Cade stopper, but as a team they forced him to struggle shooting the ball, which makes him an interesting UNDER bet in Game 1. Cunningham may not play as many minutes as he did with the Pistons trailing Orlando 3-1 in the first round, and it’s worth noting that the star guard averaged 23.9 points per game in the regular season.

After three games in a row with 32 or more points, I think Cade takes a small step back in this series opener.

Cavaliers vs. Pistons Prediction and Pick

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why the Cavs are a great underdog bet in Game 1:

Cleveland didn’t have a great series against Toronto, going to seven games even though Immanuel Quickley missed the entire series and Brandon Ingram sat out the majority of the final three games.

Despite that, I’m buying the Cavs on the road in Game 1.

Cleveland is 8-5 against the spread as a road underdog this season, and the Cavs have a far better offense than Detroit, which was 11th out of 16 teams in the first round of the playoffs. Cade Cunningham had a big series and Tobias Harris finished with four straight 20-point games, but the Pistons didn’t get much from anyone else the entire series against Orlando.

Cleveland, which had the No. 6 offense in the NBA during the regular season, averaged nearly 112 points per game in the first round and is a much better team than Orlando that will capitalize on shaky offensive stretches from the Pistons.

The Cavs aren’t nearly as good defensively, but Orlando still stole three games from Detroit despite posting an offensive rating of 101.9 in the first round (dead last in the playoffs).

With this spread set just outside one possession, I like the Cavs to cover on Tuesday night.

Pick: Cavs +3.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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