The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons are playing live on the NBA schedule on Tuesday night and the matchup from the Palace of Auburn Hills starts up at 7:30 pm ET as LeBron James and the Cavs try and keep things going and they face the newly acquired Reggie Jackson as the second part of the season heats up.
The Cavaliers come in after a big win against the Knicks on the road and they will finish the trip in Detroit. The team plays against the Golden State Warriors next on Thursday and that will be a huge matchup. That game could be a potential finals matchup and has James facing off against two of the best young players in Klay Thompson and Steph Curry. The Cavs have been playing well and they are right in the mix for the central division
The Pistons have played themselves into the mix in the playoffs in the east and they are a tougher team than they were earlier in the season. The Cavaliers come in after beating the Knicks by over 20 points and James comes in after leading the team in scoring with 18 points and seven assists while Kevin Love was tops with 16 rebounds. Love was nearly traded to the Warriors and that makes the next matchup also intriguing for both sides, especially for how good both teams have been this season.
The Cavaliers come into the game ranked in the top 10 in scoring this season and they are 13th in points allowed per game. The team has improved greatly on defense as the season has gone on and that started with the acquisition of Timofey Mozgov. The Cavs are one of the best teams in the east and they are starting to come on after a slow start to the season. The Pistons come into the game after a nice win against the Wizards and the team is looking better and better as the season goes on. The team has Kentavious Caldwell Pope playing well and he comes in after dropping 26 points in that game, while Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe are strong building blocks.
Adding Jackson to the mix is a solid move and now Stan Van Gundy has a team he can really build up. The team has 23 wins after a slow start and they will next play the Knicks after a matchup with the Cavs. The Pistons come into the game allowing 99 points per game and they are ranked fourth in rebounding. Jackson comes on and is leading the team in scoring average now that he is there and Drummond is putting together a very strong season as well.
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