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Maybe the Detroit Pistons simply needed a wake-up call. They certainly got it in the first round.
A Game 1 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers would give some assurance that all the Eastern No. 1 seed needed was a wake-up call.
My Cavaliers vs. Pistons props and these free NBA picks expect Detroit to prove as much on Tuesday, May 5.
Best Cavaliers vs Pistons props for Game 1
|
Player |
Pick |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Cade Cunningham |
30+ points |
+100 |
|
Jarrett Allen |
Under 7.5 rebounds |
+105 |
|
Tobias Harris |
Over 17.5 points |
+102 |
Game 1 Prop #1: Cade Cunningham 30+ points
+100 at bet365
As much as a wake-up call, Cade Cunningham needed to get his lungs back. A collapsed lung is obviously nothing to take lightly, and missing three weeks at the end of the regular season certainly cost Cunningham some cardiovascular health.
But as any endurance athlete would tell you, their lungs can get back into shape after only a week or two of work following some inactivity. It is the blessing of all the preceding training.
Cunningham opened the series against the Magic shooting an ugly 42.4% from the field and 28.6% from deep through four games. No wonder the Detroit Pistons trailed 3-1 in that series.
Cunningham closed the series shooting 54.1% from the field and 11-for-18 (61.1%) from deep in the final three games. No wonder the Pistons swept those games. Cunningham averaged 36.3 points in those three games, desperation the mother of innovation, but also boosted by sheer health.
With his lungs back, don’t bet against Cunningham anytime soon.
Game 1 Prop #2: Jarrett Allen Under 7.5 rebounds
+105 at bet365
For a veteran who averaged 8.5 rebounds this season and 9.2 across his career, this is a modest rebounding prop, right? Yet, Jarrett Allen fell short of this number in five of the seven games the Cleveland Cavaliers needed to get by the Raptors.
And now Allen faces a superior rebounding team, one that emphasizes the offensive glass, one that is significantly bigger than Toronto.
Jalen Duren should make Allen’s life miserable in this series, a harsh truth for Cleveland’s future beyond this month.
Game 1 Prop #3: Tobias Harris Over 17.5 points
+102 at bet365
Not to try to give the Magic more credit than they are due, but their injured roster most of the season obscured their defensive possibilities. It was clear once it was healthy in April, that was a defense to worry about.
Cleveland’s defense is not. From the All-Star Break to the end of the regular season, the Cavaliers’ defensive rating sat at No. 18 in the NBA. None of the 12 teams behind the Cavs made the playoffs proper.
Even the shorthanded Magic sat at No. 12 in that stretch.
Tobias Harris cleared this prop in the last five games of the series against Orlando. Even in the first two, he scored 17 and 16 points. He should, quite frankly, feast against a lackluster defense like Cleveland’s.
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