Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/09/2026

Game Time: 3:00 pm ET, Saturday, May 9, 2026

Venue:  Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH

Where to Watch:  NBC, Peacock

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Pistons +4.5, Cavaliers -4.5; Over/Under:  211.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Pistons +4.5, Cavaliers -4.5; Over/Under:  212.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Pistons +4.5, Cavaliers -4.5; Over/Under:  212.5 points

Detroit Pistons:  60-22 (1st place, Central Division)

Cleveland Cavaliers:  52-30 (2nd place, Central Division)

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Detroit Pistons:  7-3 last 10

Cleveland Cavaliers:  5-5 last 10

The Pistons are entering the playoffs with a 60-22 record overall this season and they were 28-13 in their road games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 5 game winning streak with wins coming against the Orlando Magic 3 times in a row and the Cleveland Cavaliers twice in a row. Cade Cunningham led the team in points in that game with 25 while Tobias Harris was next on the team with 21 points. Cade Cunningham led the team in assists in that game with 10 while Jalen Duren led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 48.8% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and 75% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 109.6 PPG against them. The Pistons have an ATS record of 49-42 this season and their O/U record is 41-49-1.

The Cavaliers are entering the playoffs with a 52-30 record overall this season and they were 27-14 in their home games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Detroit Pistons twice in a row. Donovan Mitchell led the team in points in that game with 31 while Jarrett Allen was next on the team with 22 points. Dennis Schröder led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Jarrett Allen led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 42% from the field, 21.9% from 3-point range, and 81.5% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 119.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 115.4 PPG against them. The Cavaliers have an ATS record of 36-55 this season and their O/U record is 45-46.

The current betting odds have the Pistons listed as a 4.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pistons have looked great in their games this season with their 60-22 record overall which had them right at the top of the East with one of the best records in the entire NBA. They have been a great road team too with their 28-13 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have looked good in their games this season with their 52-30 record overall which had them in the top half of the East. They have looked good on their home court too with their 27-14 home record this season. This is game 3 of a 7-game series between the 1 seeded Pistons and the 4 seeded Cavaliers in the East for the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs. The Pistons are entering this game with a 2-0 series lead after winning game 2 by a score of 107-97. The Pistons have been rolling in the playoffs lately and they have looked great to start this series. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a ton of momentum on their side with 5 wins in a row now. They had a big scare in the 1st round as they were down 3-1 in their series against the Magic and they were even down over 20 points in an elimination game, but they dug deep and managed to come all the way back. Now they are playing with all of the momentum on their side and they have been crushing opponents on this run with all 5 wins being by double digits. The Cavaliers have looked a lot better on their home court this season and that held true in the last round, winning all 4 of their home games. They still needed 7 games to beat a fraudulent Raptors team though and they had some trouble in those last 2 home games too. The Pistons have hit another gear after having their scare in the 1st round and they are going to be motivated to keep rolling in this one and push the Cavaliers to the brink of elimination. The Cavaliers haven't been putting up a ton of points in any of their games all playoffs while the defense for the Pistons has been a key factor in their last 5 wins. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pistons to cover the spread in this game. 

Pistons Cavaliers Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Saturday, May 9, 2026 (3:00 pm ET start time) is Pistons 109 Cavaliers 102.

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Detroit Pistons: 28-17 ATS after playing a home game. 13-2 ATS as an underdog. 11-2 ATS after playing 3 consecutive home games. 12-5 UNDER when the total is 210 to 219.5. 17-8 UNDER versus good teams - outscoring their opponents by 3+ points/game.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 26-45 ATS as a favorite. 5-10 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 70%). 7-15 ATS versus teams who average 9 or more steals/game on the season. 12-5 UNDER versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 3+ per game.

Detroit Pistons:  K. Huerter (SG) Day To Day - Adductor.

Cleveland Cavaliers:  S. Merrill (SG) Day To Day - Hamstring.

“We just wear on you. That’s what our objective is.” - J.B. Bickerstaff after his team’s win against the Cavaliers in the 2nd game of this series on Thursday. 

“Unfortunately, it was not a night where we shot the ball well — 7 of 32 from 3.” - Kenny Atkinson after his team’s loss against the Pistons in game 2 of this series on Thursday. 

PG Cade Cunningham

SG Duncan Robinson

SF Ausar Thompson

PF Tobias Harris

C Jalen Duren

PG James Harden

SG Donovan Mitchell

SF Dean Wade

PF Evan Mobley

C Jarrett Allen

PPG: Cade Cunningham (23.9)

APG: Cade Cunningham (9.9)

Reb/G: Jalen Duren (10.5)

PPG: Donovan Mitchell (27.9)

APG: James Harden (7.7)

Reb/G: Evan Mobley (9)

Coaches:

Detroit Pistons: J.B. Bickerstaff (2nd season)

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kenny Atkinson (2nd season)