The Cleveland Cavaliers (60-36 straight up, 62-31 against the spread) are going to the Eastern Conference finals after destroying the Detroit Pistons 125-94 as 4.5-point road underdogs in Sunday’s Game 7 at Little Caesars Arena.
The Cavs won outright as +160 money-line underdogs, while the 219 combined points soared ‘over’ the 205.5-point total.
Cleveland brings a four-game winning streak into Tuesday’s Game 1 of the East finals at Madison Square Garden in NYC. As of early Monday afternoon, most books had the New York Knicks (62-31 SU, 50-42-1 ATS) installed as seven or 7.5-point home favorites with a total of 216.5.
The Cavs were in the +215 to +225 range on the money line. The Knicks were listed as 3.5-point ‘chalk’ for first-half wagers with the total at 105.5.
Cleveland had a nine-point lead at the end of the opening frame before Detroit scored the first two baskets of the second quarter. However, that’s as close as the Pistons would get the rest of the way, as the Cavs answered with a 24-9 run.
They led 64-47 at halftime and coasted to victory behind Donovan Mitchell, who scored 15 of his 26 points in the third quarter. Mitchell added six rebounds, one steal, one blocked shot and dished out eight assists without committing a turnover, ensuring himself and his team a spot in the conference finals for the first time in his career.
Sam Merrill was spectacular in 25 minutes of action from off the bench, producing 23 points on 5-of-8 launches from 3-point range. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen dominated the paint, where Cleveland outscored Detroit 58-34.
Mobley finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, a pair of steals and two blocked shots, while Allen had 23 points and seven boards. James Harden had nine points, five rebounds and six assists compared to just one turnover.
In the losing effort, Daniss Jenkins scored a team-high 17 points to go with five assists and three rebounds. After missing Game 6 due to an injury, Duncan Robinson drained 3-of-5 shots from downtown in a 13-point effort for the Pistons, who trailed by as many as 35 points in the second half.
Cade Cunningham finished with 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. He made only 5-of-16 field-goal attempts and missed all seven of his shots from 3-point territory.
Jalen Duren’s postseason struggles were stunning. He earned his first All-Star Game appearance this season when he averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting at a 65.0 percent clip from the field during the regular season.
But in 14 playoff games, Duren averaged a meager 10.2 points and 8.5 RPG while making 51.4 percent of his FGAs. He didn’t hit his regular-season scoring average once, settling for a postseason-best 15 points twice in Game 7 vs. Orlando and Game 6 at Cleveland.
Duren was limited to single-digit scoring outputs seven times, including his seven-point effort in Sunday’s lopsided loss. He had only three double-doubles.
Tobias Harris went 0-of-6 on FGAs and had only five points in Game 7.
“It sucked,” Cunningham said. “Being back home, definitely wanted to get this win for the fans. Reminded me of last year, losing on the home court. It’s not a great feeling.
“So, I hadn’t been thinking about the offseason, so my mind’s been racing now, trying to figure out what I got to do, what it’s going to look like.”
“It’s not a disappointment at all,” Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of the season. “Not ever will I be disappointed in these guys. These guys every single day give us what they got. So, it is not a disappointment. It’s a loss, and it’s a tough loss. But that adjective will never be used.”
Detroit won 60 regular-season games and earned the #1 seed the East just two years after enduring an NBA-record 28-game losing streak on its way to an abysmal 14-68 record.
The Knicks went 2-1 SU and 1-2 ATS in three regular-season meetings against the Cavs, who lost both games at MSG but won a 109-94 decision as four-point home favorites on Feb. 24. Mike Brown’s team won 119-111 as a 1.5-point home underdog vs. Cleveland on Oct. 22.
On Christmas Day in NYC, the Knicks beat the Cavs 126-124 as five-point home ‘chalk.’ Mitchell had 34 points, seven rebounds, four steals and six assists compared to only one turnover, while Jalen Brunson finished with 34 points, four assists and a pair of steals.
The ‘over’ went 2-1 in the three encounters that produced combined scores of 230, 250 and 203 points.
We should point out that both of New York’s wins over Cleveland came before the trade for Harden, who had 20 points and four assists in the Cavs’ home win over the Knicks.
Since falling behind 2-1 in its first-round series against Atlanta, New York has won seven games in a row while cashing tickets at a 6-1 ATS clip.
DraftKings has the Knicks as -265 favorites to win the East finals, leaving the Cavs as +215 underdogs. The book has the Knicks at 550 odds to win the NBA Finals, while the Cavs have 20/1 odds.
As for who will lead the series in points scored, Brunson is the -115 ‘chalk,’ with Mitchell sporting -110 odds. Harden is at 25/1, followed by Karl-Anthony Towns (40/1).
Tuesday’s series opener will tip at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.