The Detroit Pistons got off to a strong start against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday but lost the lead by six points at home.

Detroit hasn’t been able to close the gap, but it looks a little more interesting this season with veterans like Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley.

Meanwhile, on Friday, their rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, defeated the Toronto Raptors on the road.

It’s just one game, but Kenny Atkinson made sure Evan Mobley really maximized his touches on Wednesday night.

Should we expect more of the same against Detroit?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, key players and my best bet for Friday night’s matchup.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Radiate

money line

Total

Piston Injury Report

Cavaliers Injury Report

Detroit Pistons

Tobias Harris: The Pistons have had great success this offseason, allowing Harris to bring offensive stability to a young team this season. He finished the season with 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting, but went 1-of-6 from 3 in the season opener against Indiana. If Harris wants to rebuild his value in the NBA, he’ll need to shoot better threes going forward

Cleveland Cavaliers

Evan Mobley: Want to see Evan Mobley turn into an All-Star? Because it looks like Kenny Atkinson is on board, too. The Cavs’ forward had 25 points (9/14 shooting), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks in the season-opening victory over Toronto. I hope Mobley continues this aggressive offensive play all season long.

This is a tough start to the season for Detroit, which was the home dog of the Easter Conference runner-up in Game 1 and is now on the road against an elite Cavs team in Game 2.

I don’t mind giving the points here to Cleveland, which had the best net rating in the NBA on opening night.

Unlike many teams, the Cavs kept their entire core together and found chemistry much easier to achieve early in the season.

While the Pistons looked more talented than last season, they still took the lead on a night when Tyrese Haliburton shot just 6-of-18 from the field for Indiana.

Until the Pistons prove that they are not one of the worst teams in the league, they will surely be destroyed in the 2024-25 season.

Pick: Cavs -10 (-110)

Rates are updated periodically and may change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record is here (including futures). You can also follow my daily games. BetStamp is here.