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The Detroit Pistons are playing another contending team missing much of its most potent firepower. One game after dispatching (though it wasn’t easy) the Oklahoma City Thunder B Team, they get another reserve-filled opponent in the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs will be without its starting backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and recent arrival James Harden. They will also be without recent arrival Keon Ellis. They will also be without criminally underrated big man Dean Wade. That means we’ll likely see a lot of former Piston Dennis Schroder, who escaped Sacramento along with Ellis. It will also pit 2021’s first overall pick, Cade Cunningham, against No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley. Mobley has already gotten one Defensive Player of the Year under his belt, but Cavs fans can get a little agitated when prodded about his offensive development, or lack thereof. Sometimes it feels more like a passivity issue than a skill issue, so maybe missing so much firepower will be Mobley’s chance to shine. Or maybe Cunningham will simply show the kind of vast difference between the best player in the draft and another top-5 player in the draft, and why that motivates so many teams to tank so egregiously.
Game Vitals
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: ESPN or Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Detroit -6
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (43-14)
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Cleveland Cavaliers (37-23)
Dennis Schröder (?), Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen