{"id":726569,"date":"2026-05-05T19:54:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T19:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/726569\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T19:54:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T19:54:34","slug":"cavaliers-vs-pistons-game-1-prediction-whos-carrying-more-momentum-from-the-first-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/726569\/","title":{"rendered":"Cavaliers vs. Pistons Game 1 prediction: Who’s carrying more momentum from the first round?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\tGambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

The fiercely competitive Eastern Conference saw three Game 7s in the first round of the NBA<\/a> playoffs, and on Tuesday, two winners from Sunday face each other in quick succession.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many expected the No. 1-seeded Pistons and No. 4-seeded Cavaliers to meet in the second round, but both teams enter this seven-game series with their respective bumps and bruises.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Raptors gave Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs all they could handle, while Cade Cunningham\u2019s offensive prowess propelled the Pistons to a season-saving three-game winning streak over the Magic<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t pretty, but both managed to advance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oddsmakers have this one extremely close, with the Pistons at -125 odds to win the series outright and Cleveland at +105 at BetMGM<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cavaliers vs. Pistons prediction, best bet<\/p>\n

Neither team got off to the playoff start they envisioned, but nonetheless, a spot in the East finals is at stake.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Pistons faced a 3-1 deficit and appeared on the brink of elimination until Cunningham started playing more aggressively and cutting down his turnovers.<\/p>\n

He concluded the Magic series with averages of 32.4 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.7 rebounds.<\/p>\n

\"CadeThe Pistons rallied from a 3-1 hole to beat the Magic. AP<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Tobias Harris offered valuable offensive support, with Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren increasing their hustle and rebounding efforts.<\/p>\n

Conversely, the Cavaliers secured the series victory over the Raptors thanks to Jarrett Allen\u2019s standout performance in Game 7.<\/p>\n

However, Cleveland was unable to win a single game in Toronto, and their offense, which was expected to thrive with James Harden\u2019s addition, regressed.<\/p>\n

While iso plays are common with top scorers Mitchell and Harden, Kenny Atkinson\u2019s team struggled with turnovers throughout the seven-game series. The Wine and Gold accounted for 121 in total, with Harden registering 36 himself. <\/p>\n

Betting on the NBA? <\/p>\n

This spells trouble, especially against the tough Pistons\u2019 defense, which limited the Magic to a playoff-worst 39.7 percent field-goal shooting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Detroit appears to have reaffirmed its identity, while the Cavs continue to struggle on the road, holding a 17-27 record against the spread this season as of Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Cavs\u2019 difficulty in preventing the Raptors from crashing the glass in the first round also means Duren could have a field day.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m expecting a Duren double-double and for the Pistons to take Game 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Plays: Jalen Duren to record a double-double (-135, BetMGM<\/a>) | Pistons moneyline (-150, bet365<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Why Trust New York Post Betting<\/p>\n

Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":726570,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3772],"tags":[7,212,306,305,193,3846,188,6,214,11,56381,66,215,216],"class_list":["post-726569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cleveland-cavaliers","tag-basketball","tag-betting","tag-cavaliers","tag-cleveland","tag-cleveland-cavaliers","tag-clevelandcavaliers","tag-detroit-pistons","tag-nba","tag-nba-betting","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-nba-playoffs-2026","tag-sports","tag-sports-betting","tag-sports-picks"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116523726801244866","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=726569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/726570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=726569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=726569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=726569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}