NBA Basketball
2026-05-11 - Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NBA Basketball Playoffs Second Round Game 4
Monday 11th May 2026 - Scheduled 8pm EST
1am (British Time)
Preview
They were poised to become the third team holding a 3-0 lead in the NBA Playoffs Second Round Series, but a big James Harden bucket helped the Cleveland Cavaliers hold off the Detroit Pistons and bring themselves back into this Eastern Conference Series.
No team in NBA history has recovered from 3-0 behind in a best of seven Playoff Series, but hosting Game 4 with an opportunity to level things up before heading back to Detroit will have everyone feeling better.
Of course there is still some real pressure on the Cleveland Cavaliers knowing a defeat on Monday would mean having to win three games in a row and twice in Detroit to move into the Eastern Conference Finals.
They will be hoping that James Harden can back up the hot shooting of Donovan Mitchell, but the Cavaliers will also appreciate that a lot had to go right for them in Game 3. They had a huge lead at half time, but the Detroit Pistons ground them down and had all of the momentum with time running out in the Fourth Quarter, although ultimately coming up short.
Out of the two teams, there has been a bit more efficiency from the Pistons, while they have the size and intensity around the boards to win those Rebounding numbers and offer the team a chance of earning the road upset. They will regret the Second Quarter when falling into a big hole, but the Pistons have shown enough to believe that small adjustments can be made to turn the tables after a game in which they may feel a big opportunity slipped past them.
Recent Second Round Playoff trends have shown Game 4 to be a time when the Game 3 winner has pressed home the advantage, while those leading in the Series have struggled against the spread. Those are all factors moving against the Detroit Pistons, but the layers have shrunk the line in this one and that is the kind of respect that has been earned by the top Seed in the Conference.
Instead of picking a side, backing this game to hit the under may be the better approach.
Both teams have shown they can pick up the Defensive intensity and games played after a margin of victory less than double digits have a strong lean towards the 'under' play.
Prior to Game 3, the under had come out on top twice in a row and this may end up being another scrap between these rivals, which ends up seeing the Defensive units make enough stops to prevent this total being surpassed.
Prediction
Back the adjustments to help on the Defensive side of the court.
The Pick :
Cleveland Cavaliers 102-104 Detroit Pistons
