Cavs Game: Harden Returns as Pistons Reinsert Isaiah Stewart at Rocket Arena
The cavs game tonight tips at 7 p. m. ET at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, with James Harden available for the Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons reinstating Isaiah Stewart after a seven-game suspension.
Cavs Game — Harden back, Mitchell still out
James Harden will suit up for the Cavaliers while Donovan Mitchell remains unavailable, a swing in Cleveland’s rotation that arrives ahead of the rematch with Detroit. In their last meeting on Feb. 27 the Pistons won in overtime after the Cavs had outplayed Detroit for much of the game but let it slip late.
Pistons get Stewart back after suspension
Detroit enters the matchup as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, holding a five-game lead over the No. 2 Boston Celtics, and will have Isaiah Stewart back following a seven-game suspension. Stewart’s return restores a frontcourt option for the Pistons against Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Lineups, odds and broadcast
Oddsmakers list the Pistons at -2. 5 for the game. The contest starts at 7 p. m. ET and will be carried on Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit. Projected starting fives listed for the matchup are:
- Detroit: Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
- Cleveland: James Harden, Jaylon Tyson, Sam Merrill, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
With Harden back in the Cleveland rotation and Mitchell out, the Cavaliers will have to integrate Harden’s playmaking against a Pistons team that beat them in overtime on Feb. 27; that result is a recent concrete reference point for both clubs heading into tonight’s game.
What to watch in-game
Look for how Cleveland uses Harden alongside Mobley and Allen to attack Detroit’s paint defense, and whether Stewart’s return changes Detroit’s rebounding and interior matchups. The Feb. 27 overtime finish and the teams’ matching desire for a rematch set a clear storyline at 7 p. m. ET.
The game is the next confirmed event on both teams’ schedules: tip-off is 7 p. m. ET at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, where the Pistons are favored by 2. 5 points and the broadcast is on Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit.
