TST Best Bets: May 13, 2026

With the New York Knicks emphatically punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals with a sweep in the second round, their opponent is yet to be decided. 

The Detroit Pistons – Cleveland Cavaliers series is a pivotal point with a Game 5 to break the 2-2 stalemate these teams find themselves in.

After taking a 2-0 lead to start the series, the Pistons have come away from their trip to Cleveland winless, as the Cavs’ star backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden have bounced back massively to help tie this series. 

Cade Cunningham has had several star moments in this series, but the Cavs defense has held the star point guard to just 40% in this series. 

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First Pick: Detroit Pistons -4 over Cleveland Cavaliers 

Rundown: There is an old adage in the NBA that a series never starts until the road team wins. 

In that sense, you could say these playoffs for the Cavs have yet to start, as they are a perfect 6-0 at home and a putrid 0-5 on the road. 

Cleveland is additionally 0-5 against the spread on the road, and the main culprit is their offense that has yet to show the ability to travel. 

The Cavs have scored 105 points or more once in those five games, and Harden particularly has been abysmal on the road, as he has recorded 30 turnovers to just 25 made field goals in said games. 

In the biggest spot of the Cavs postseason yet, expect Harden to anchor Cleveland to a loss. 

Second Pick: Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – Under 211.5

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

May 11, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) reacts after a play against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of game four in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.

Rundown: While the Pistons should pull away to take a 3-2 lead in this series, it will be because of their elite defense that ranked second in the NBA in defensive rating this season, not their inconsistent offense. 

The offensive infrastructure around Cunningham has been shown to be shaky at best through these playoffs, as the lack of ballhandlers around the star point guard has enabled defenses to key on Cunningham’s handle without fear of overcommitting. 

All-Star center Jalen Duren particularly has been a disappointment this postseason, as he has averaged 10.2 points per game, a stunning drop off from his 19.5 regular season average. 

Expect tonight’s Game 5 to be one where both teams struggle to reach 100 points, as the Pistons cover in a low-scoring affair.