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The Detroit Pistons face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs, with Game 1 set for Tuesday night. The Pistons are favored by 3½ points despite the Cavaliers' 11-game playoff winning streak against them since 2007.
The Detroit Pistons renew their rivalry with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs.
Cleveland has won 11 straight playoff games against the Pistons dating to 2007, but all featured LeBron James on its roster and the last came in 2016.
Game 1 is Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, with the Pistons opening as a 3½-point favorite.
This is a matchup of star power and depth. The Cavaliers are a completely different team than the Orlando Magic, whom the Pistons finally vanquished in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon. The Pistons do resemble the tough, athletic, poor-shooting Toronto Raptors ā the team the Cavs dispatched in Game 7 on Sunday night ā a bit.
The Cavs boast experienced playmaking and shotmaking with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, and two talented, slender bigs in Evan Mobley and .
The Cavaliers have won 11 consecutive playoff games against the Pistons dating back to 2007, with the last victory occurring in 2016.
Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic in Game 7, while the Cavaliers overcame the Toronto Raptors in their own Game 7.

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The Pistons counter with All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham, Defensive Player of the Year third-place finisher Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren.
Here are our staff predictions for the Cavaliers vs. Pistons series in the 2026 Eastern Conference semifinals:
After a grueling seven-game series against Orlando, the Pistons now have to contend with Clevelandās big frontcourt. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley will try to take away the paint, where Detroit typically thrives. It might take more heroics from Cade Cunningham, but defense and depth should carry the Pistons over the top and to their first conference finals since 2008. The pick: Pistons in 7.
Before the playoffs started, I figured weād get this matchup and that the Cavaliers would win in 6. The matchup is tough for the Pistons, as Cleveland can spread out and score from everywhere and protect the rim on defense. But after watching Detroit solve Orlando and, frankly, themselves, Iāll take the Pistons' chemistry and toughness to figure out a tough matchup once again. The pick: Pistons in 7.
If this were a well-rested Pistons team, it'd be pretty easy to pick them over a Cavs team that barely squeaked by the overperforming Raptors. But the second round is new territory for these Pistons, outside of Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson, and they'll learn quickly how much fresh legs and top-level execution matters against teams as experienced as Cleveland. The pick: Cavs in 6.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons vs Cavaliers predictions in NBA playoffs: Who wins and why