NBA odds: Detroit faces runaway train in LeBron and the Cavs

Friday’s NBA odds feature a match up between two teams headed in opposite directions. Cleveland is looking like the No. 1 choice to win this year’s NBA Championship, while the Pistons are suffering through a tough losing streak. Bodog has the Cavaliers as a 12 ½ point favorite.

Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN

Cleveland recently ended a 13-game winning streak with three consecutive losses. The Cavaliers appear to be at it again, as they’ve won five straight. Cleveland has been very good on NBA odds over the past week or so, winning four straight games against the spread. The team has been a little shakier at home, however; the Cavs are 2-4 against the spread in their last six games at Quicken Loans Arena.

Largely thanks to LeBron James, Cleveland’s offense has been phenomenal. While the Cavs are averaging 102.7 points per game on the season, they’ve exploded for 114.8 over their past five games. James, naturally, has been the catalyst. Not only has he been scoring in droves, the MVP leader is dishing the ball like an All-NBA point guard—he’s averaging 10.3 assists per game since the All-Star break. Antawn Jamison has been a great role player since arriving in Cleveland seven games ago. He’s averaging 15.1 points and eight rebounds per game in a strong complimentary role.

Detroit is sinking. Losers of five straight, the Pistons are coming off a 128-104 blowout loss to the lowly Knicks. Detroit has struggled to deliver at the sportsbook, too, losing three straight against the spread and covering just once in their past five games. Obviously, the Pistons aren’t especially good when traveling either—they’re 1-3 in their past four games away from Detroit.

The Pistons offense is terrible, ranking second-last in the NBA at 92.7 points per game. Despite the losses, there have been some signs of improvement over the past two games, with Detroit scoring at least 100 points in both. That’s especially odd since leading-scorer Richard Hamilton is struggling; he’s averaging 13.3 points per game over his past three while shooting just 35.1 percent from the field. Defensively, the Pistons have suffered a breakdown. They’re a respectable 12th in the league at 97.4 points per game, but they’ve allowed 105 and 128 points in their past two outings.

James scored 34 points against the Pistons in their lone meeting this year, leading the Cavs to a 98-88 win. The win improved Cleveland to 8-2 straight up against Detroit in the past 10 games, plus 7-3 against the spread. Although the total went over, it’s gone under in eight of the past 10 games these teams have matched up. Sportsbook.com has the total set at 199.