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The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn't take advantage of a 3-2 series lead and playing Game 6 on their home court to close out their Eastern Conference semifinals series Friday. The Detroit Pistons cruised to a 21-point victory to set up Sunday's Game 7 in the Motor City. Detroit will host the winner-take-all clash at 8 p.m. ET. The winner will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the New York Knicks. The East champ will take on the Western Conference winner in the NBA Finals, with the San Antonio Spurs and the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder facing off in that West matchup. Detroit is a 4.5-point favorite and the game total is set at 205.5 for Game 7, according to the latest NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Ahead of Sunday's Game 7 matchup, were diving into the NBA best bets for Cavaliers vs. Pistons using the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times. The model has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. 

The model entered the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 26-9 roll (74%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns. So let's dive into the best NBA bets today for Game 7 with all odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. 

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NBA Playoffs picks, best bets for Sunday, May 17

  • Pistons money line
  • Pistons-Cavaliers Over 205.5
  • Cade Cunningham Over 8.5 assists

Pistons money line

The Pistons have had their backs against the wall quite a bit this postseason despite being the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, as they fell behind 3-1 in the first round to Orlando before storming back to win that series. They then were down 3-2 before an emphatic 21-point road win in Game 6 to set up Game 7 at home. The Pistons win Game 7 in nearly 75% of the SportsLine model's simulations, good for an 'A' grade. They're also 5-2 at home this postseason.

Cavaliers-Pistons Over 205.5

It's honestly a bit surprising that the total is this low for Game 7 considering how this series has gone. These teams have cleared this line in five of the first six games of this series. Additionally, Cleveland's first-round games went seven games with six going Over this line, while four of Detroit's seven first-round games went Over 205.5 as well. The Over hits in more than 60% of simulations. 

Cade Cunningham Over 8.5 assists

Cunningham averaged 9.9 assists per game in the regular season, good for second in the NBA, and is averaging 7.7 per game this postseason and 8.3 this series. Cunningham has gone Over 8.5 assists three times thus far against the Cavs, and in this pivotal Game 7, the model has the star Detroit guard projected for 9.6 assists.