DETROIT — The Cavs roll into Little Caesars Arena looking to close out their first back-to-back of the season with another win.
Cleveland is coming off a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, while the Pistons are riding their own wave of momentum after toppling the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets in their last two contest.
Monday’s matchup is scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m. Eastern on Peacock.
Detroit has a new look under second-year head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the former Cavs leader who guided Cleveland through its rebuild and early playoff push.
Now with the Pistons, Bickerstaff has blended his trademark defensive intensity with an upgraded roster that features Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren. They are still far from a finished product, but the mix of length, shooting and youth gives them a modern identity.
Detroit will be shorthanded Monday, missing at least Jaden Ivey, while Cleveland will again be without Darius Garland and Max Strus. Lonzo Ball is also likely to be sidelined as the Cavs limit him in back-to-backs to monitor his health early in the season.
The matchup offers a layered storyline.
A meeting between Bickerstaff’s new team and the one he helped shape while getting a view of their tweaked principles under Kenny Atkinson.
With both squads leaning into new versions of themselves, Monday night offers a glimpse of two franchises evolving in real time with some familiar tension starting to brew between them.
How to watch the Cavs: See how to watch the Cavs games with this handy game-by-game TV schedule.
Here’s what to know about the matchup:
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons
Series: First of four matchups in the regular season.
Where: Little Caesars Arena
When: 7 p.m. ET.
The point spread: Cavs minus-2.5; O/U 231.5
TV: Peacock
Injury report
Cavs:
Out:
Max Strus (foot); Darius Garland (toe); Nae’Qwan Tomlin (two-way)
Pistons:
Out: Jaden Ivey (knee)
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