NBA: Shaq can lead Cavs to victory
Basketball 
/ Andy Morris / 25 November 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now
No question, the Cavaliers are a better team with Shaquille O'Neal, who has been out of the last five games while he rested his injured shoulder, writes Andy Morris.
So when he returns to the team for the game in Detroit you can have faith in Cleveland to come good.
The Pistons are 5-9 and have lost five games in a row. You can bet that the last team they want to see at The Palace of Auburn Hills are the Cavaliers.
Cleveland's last trip there saw them complete a first-round sweep in the playoffs in April, and they have run up a streak of eight consecutive wins against Detroit.
Even without O'Neal the Cavs have been impressive - they went 4-1 in his absence, with LeBron James averaging 34.3 points and 9.3 assists in his last four games.
But equally as impressive as their offensive statistics has been the way they have defended. In rallying past Philadelphia on Saturday they allowed just 10 fourth-quarter points.
The Pistons, in contrast, are at a low ebb after being swept during a four-game western road trip that ended in Phoenix on Sunday.
In the absence of some of their stars, like Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, they have had to rely on the likes of free agent signings Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva contributing. But on November 15 Gordon went 1 of 16 from the field and scored a season-low five points as they lost to Dallas.
Detroit is also struggling to find points inside - they are among the bottom five in the league in points in the paint, while Cleveland allows the fewest points in the paint so the stats point to the Pistons having a struggle on their hands.
The Cavs have tended to stun their opposition early on in recent games. They have scored at least 32 points in the first quarter in each of the last nine games, and at 30.6 average points over the season are the league's highest scoring team in the first quarter.
The Cavaliers have won 11 out of 14 and eight out of the last nine first quarters, so expect them to seize the initiative from the outset in Detroit.
They are very much worth backing in match odds, and you should find them at attractive odds.
