This is how I see it for tonight’s Game-6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Pistons and Cavaliers. The team that wins will be the team that advances. If the Pistons, losers of three straight, find a way to slow down LeBron James and find their way back to playoffs form then it’s likely they could steal a game at Quest Arena in Cleveland forcing a Game-7 back in Michigan on Monday. If Detroit can take the series back home, I feel it would be the end of the road for Cleveland. For the Cavaliers, a win means a trip to the NBA Finals to play the San Antonio Spurs. Odds are definitely stacked in the Cavs favor at Quicken Loans Arena where they are 6-1 in the playoffs this season.
Betting opened for Game-6 as a PICK shortly following the Cavs Game-5 victory at the Palace and has since drifted in the Cavs favor by two points (-2.0). The TOTAL continues to stay low, opening at 173 ½ at most offshore sportsbooks.
The total found its way OVER in games four and five after going UNDER in the first three contests of the series.
Detroit has proven to be a good road bet cashing in 15-of-20 games ATS; however the Pistons have failed to cover ATS the last five games at home or on the road. The Pistons have gone 12-5 SU of their last 17 games.
Cleveland has covered ATS all five games of its series versus Detroit and has gone 15-4 SU in its last 19 games. The Cavs are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games at home.
In Game-5 on Thursday, LeBron James took another step toward legend status as he scored Cleveland’s final 25 points, spanning the end of regulation and both overtime periods, to finish with a playoff career-high 48 points. The final two came on a game-winning driving lay-up with 2.2 seconds left in a thrilling 109-107 double overtime victory that gave the Cavs a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs will look to close out the series and move on to the NBA Finals tonight. The game can be seen on TNT with tip-off at 8:30 p.m. ET.
