The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost seven straight games and are looking to get back into the win column against the Pistons in Detroit.
Cleveland is currently on a seven-game losing streak that dates back to January 13th. Saturday’s loss to Chicago was also their 13th loss in their last 16 games. The 12-34 Cleveland Cavaliers will look to snap their second-longest losing streak of the season. They will have that chance Monday on the road against the 17-30 Detroit Pistons.
Cleveland has faced Detroit twice during the aforementioned 16 game span, splitting the two games. The Cavaliers lost their first meeting with the Pistons at the beginning of December by a score of 127-94. Cleveland is averaging 105.8 points per game over their past 16 games while giving up 115.4 per game. It is hard to win consistently when being outscored by nearly 10 points per game over an extended period.
The real eye-opening aspect of this lackluster stretch is how frequently their opponent has scored 109 points or more. It has happened in 13 of their 16 games. Meanwhile, Cleveland has been held below 109 points nine times during this 16-game span. This leads to some bad news when it comes to tonight’s opponent. The Pistons are averaging 112.3 points per game during the month of January. While it is less than Cleveland’s 115.4 PPG given up the last 16 games, it is still above that 109 point threshold that has led to the majority of their recent losses.
Cleveland is going to have to do two things they struggle with if they are going to come out on top Monday. Play solid defense and score a lot of points. It is a lot easier said than done and an eighth straight loss is a real possibility. A loss Monday would tie Cleveland’s season-long losing streak. A streak which ran from November 25th to December 11th and includes their first loss to Detroit this season.
