The Cavaliers were doing quite well since acquiring James Harden from the Clippers. Then, the guard suffered a hand injury in the win over the New York Knicks this week.
That’s not going to play in Cleveland’s favor when it meets the best in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons, on Friday.
This has been a tough stretch for Detroit, which lost to San Antonio before facing Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Catching Cleveland without Harden should make Detroit a bigger favorite on NBA lines. It should also see Cade Cunningham go off.