The Cleveland Cavaliers hold the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference, but according to oddsmakers and bettors, they’re the current favorite to represent the conference in the NBA Finals.
That’s mainly due to the trade-deadline acquisition of veteran guard James Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers. The Cavaliers will have a chance to legitimize the hype when they visit the team atop the conference, the Detroit Pistons, on Friday night.
Harden’s status for upcoming games is uncertain due to a nondisplaced fracture of his right thumb that he sustained against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. He did not play in Wednesday’s 118-116 loss at the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I looked at his thumb, and it looked like my finger when I broke it,” center Jarrett Allen said. “Knew something was wrong and I was waiting to see if he was going to play through it or not. He was talking about it. But it’s just one of those things. In this league, people go down and you just have to continue.”
Should Harden be sidelined again, the Cavaliers will expand the role of another veteran guard, Dennis Schroder, who played a prominent role for the Pistons during their stretch run last season.
“I’ve always felt in my mind that he is a starting point guard in this league,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “That’s the way I’ve always looked at him. He’s done it before.”
Cleveland was also missing leading scorer Donovan Mitchell (groin strain) and Evan Mobley (injury management) against Milwaukee. Schroder had 26 points and five assists and Allen scored 27 points, but his apparent tying basket as time expired was waved off.
The Cavaliers dominated their series against the Pistons in recent seasons, winning as many as 12 straight. Detroit snapped that streak last March, and the teams split their first two matchups this season.
The Pistons have won six of their last seven games. They struggled to put away a severely undermanned Oklahoma City Thunder squad on Wednesday but prevailed 124-116.
Cade Cunningham scored 13 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter. He also had 13 assists but committed eight turnovers. Detroit’s other All-Star, Jalen Duren, overpowered the Thunder’s depleted frontcourt with 29 points and 15 rebounds.
“I think I just understood that scoring was going to be more important this year for me. Just trying to add that to my game consistently and it’s just me getting better,” Duren said. “I’m really just providing anything that my team needs. (I’ve had) countless talks with (coach) J.B. (Bickerstaff), him letting me know and encouraging me to keep being aggressive and keep attacking. It’s been working out.”
The Pistons were coming off a home loss to the San Antonio Spurs two nights prior, and Bickerstaff didn’t think his team had fully recovered by Wednesday.
“It was in and out, to be honest with you,” Bickerstaff said of the team’s performance. “There were some really good moments where we did the things that we needed to do, and then there were times where I felt like we let them back in the game.
“But our guys find a way. They do the right thing. Their hearts are in the right place. They’re trying to do the things we ask them to do. So again, we’ll watch the film and move on.”
