Never-satisfied Cavs add another piece
The Pistons caused Cleveland fits on the boards throughout last week’s meeting at the Palace of Auburn Hills. But will tonight’s rematch in Northeast Ohio tell a markedly different story in the paint?
Armed with a new low-post contributor, the Cavaliers host Detroit at 7 p.m. ET. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the defending NBA champions odds of -375 to emerge victorious. Jeff Van Gundy’s squad, on the other hand, enters Quicken Loans Arena as a +299 underdog.
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Having struggled to control the glass ever since power forward Kevin Love (knee surgery) left the lineup on Feb. 14, Cleveland now is taking an extreme shot in the dark. Larry Sanders, who last played in the league in 2014-15, agreed to a deal Monday for the rest of the season. If the 7-footer eventually cracks coach Tyronn Lue’s rotation, we’re talking about a potentially deadly source of blocks.
By and large, though, expect usual suspects LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to power the Cavs’ efforts shortly. Detroit is on a bit of roll, with wins in four of its last five affairs. As the regular campaign winds down, the Pistons possess the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.