Tomlin enters his third NBA season looking to solidify his place in Cleveland's rotation after remaining on the fringes of the frontcourt during his first two campaigns.
Enaruna enters his second NBA season after averaging 4.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists during his first regular-season campaign with Cleveland.
Hezonja agreed to a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Cavaliers on Sunday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Okorie posted 27 points (8-19 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), four rebounds, three assists and one steal over 28 minutes during the Pistons' 101-87 Summer League loss to the Heat on Friday.
Williams finished Friday's 101-87 Summer League loss to Miami with 15 points (5-8 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, one assist and one steal over 25 minutes.
Branham finished Friday's 100-91 Summer League win over the Bulls with 13 points (5-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), five assists, one rebound, one steal and one block across 20 minutes.
Tomlin (rest) didn't play in Friday's 100-91 Summer League win over the Bulls.
Thomas recorded 24 points (10-20 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two assists, two rebounds and one steal over 25 minutes in Friday's 100-91 Summer League win over the Bulls.
Enaruna (illness) didn't play in Friday's 100-91 Summer League win over the Bulls.
Jones posted 18 points (6-14 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 10 rebounds, an assist, two steals and two blocks in Wednesday's 100-88 Summer League loss to the Suns.
DraftKings. Outside of Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris, the Pistons have struggled mightily to find consistent offensive production. Daniss Jenkins was a spark-plug for the Pistons in Game 5, and I like him to continue to find success tonight. Even with Duncan Robinson returning, the Pistons double point guard lineup was able to create opportunities, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jenkins poached minutes from the offensively challenged Ausar Thompson as well. Jenkins has cleared this line in 3/5 this series, and I like him to make it 4/6 tonight. Play to 12.5.
The No. 1-seeded Pistons lost a critical Game 5 at home against the Cavaliers, and now they're on the brink of elimination in Game 6 at Cleveland. Star player Cade Cunningham did his job with 39 points off 13-of-27 shooting and 6-of-10 from 3-point range, but the problem is that nobody else helped him as the team shot under 40% without Cunningham’s stats. And that's where James Harden's veteran savvy came into play as he went to the free-throw line 14 times and scored 30 points in the game. It was a balanced attack, and the Cavs shot 40% from 3-point range and won despite having 16 turnovers. Cavs close it out tonight, making up for their failure as the No. 1 seed last year.
FanDuel. Given the trajectory of his role and how the Cleveland bigs have struggled on the glass, I like Max Strus to clear his rebounds line once again. He’s recorded at least 5 rebounds in 15/24 games this season, including 3/5 this series. Strus’ minutes reached 31 (in regulation) in Game 5, as he was entrusted with defending Cade Cunningham down the stretch. Needed on the floor offensively for floor spacing, the high-energy veteran should continue to make an impact in Game 6. Look for Strus to clear this plus-money prop.
Donovan Mitchell averages 31.3 ppg over his career in playoff closeout games (team is one win from advancing). He was limited to 21 in Game 5’s impressive road win, picked up by James Harden. But he scored 43 and 35 in the previous two. Back at home, look for the closer to do his thing and will the Cavs to the Eastern finals.
Donovan Mitchell struggled in Game 5, shooting just 7-for-18 from the field. That included him going 1-for-8 from behind the arc. He still scored 21 points, showing how high his floor is because of his usage rate. Prior to that performance, he had three straight games with at least 31 points. He shot 49.3% from the field at home this season and has scored at least 30 points in four of six home playoff games. With the home crowd behind him, I like Mitchell to score at least 27 points.
Paul Reed has gotten 10 or more minutes in four playoff games. Each time, he has produced at least 12 combined points and rebounds. In fact, he has cleared this prop total in 13 of the last 14 games in which he received 10-plus minutes. It's hard to figure out JB Bickerstaff's rotation patterns, but I'm betting he gives Reed significant minutes Friday after he played him for the entire fourth quarter and overtime Wednesday. Bickerstaff calls Reed "a run-stopper," meaning he can end Cavs' runs. At home, Cleveland is likely to rip off a few spurts, requiring Bickerstaff to call on Reed.
Thought the Cavs had a better roster than the Pistons anyways and now they have a chance to finish at home. Ideally, James Harden calls in sick (Beard not a great track record in elimination games), but Cleveland has been dominant at home for months. Detroit is terrible at 3-point shooting anyways and without Duncan Robinson even worse. He missed Game 5 and iffy for Game 6. I'm not sure it matters because while D-Rob can shoot, he's a massive defensive liability. Basically me. The Pistons need to get Giannis this offseason. Then they'd be fun.
Detroit is built for the high pressure environment of a road elimination game. Their defensive identity consistently travels, allowing them to remain competitive even when shots are not falling. Although the market favors Cleveland at home, the Cavaliers have underperformed in this role, posting a disappointing record of 16-25 against the spread at Rocket Arena. Conversely, Detroit excels as an underdog, going 14-6 ATS in this season. Teams coming off a galvanizing close loss in this round cover the spread nearly 72% of the time in the next game. I like the road dog at this spot.
In a pivotal Game 5, JB Bickerstaff benched Jalen Duren for the entire fourth quarter and overtime. Duren's minutes this series have gone like this: 35, 33, 29, 27, 25. Paul Reed and Isaiah Stewart played well in Game 5, posting a combined plus-12 in 28 minutes, while Duren was minus-16 in 25 minutes. In the two games in Cleveland, Duren recorded 15 and 10 combined points and rebounds. He could have a double-double Friday and still fall below this prop total.
