Pistons forward Blake Griffin
In a tale of two different Central teams heading in entirely different directions, Blake Griffin and the Detroit Pistons (3-0) haven’t lost a game yet, while the Cleveland Cavaliers (0-4) are still searching for their first victory. Both teams prepare for their matchup Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena.
The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Ohio (in Cavs markets) and Fox Sports Detroit (in Pistons markets). If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
How to Watch Cavaliers vs Pistons Online if You’re in Market
Fox Sports Ohio (local markets) and Fox Sports Detroit (local markets) are included in the main Fubo bundle, which has 85 total channels and is tailored towards sports. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch games up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including Fox Sports Ohio (local markets) and Fox Sports Detroit (local markets). You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Fox Sports Ohio (local markets) and Fox Sports Detroit (local markets) are included in the “Sling Blue” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch the game live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
How to Watch Cavaliers vs Pistons Online if You’re Out of Market
If you live outside of the Cavs or Pistons area, all out-of-market, non-nationally televised games can be watched through NBA League Pass. You can sign up and watch through a number of different platforms:
You can sign up for either NBA League Pass, which lets you watch all out-of-market games, or NBA Team Pass, which lets you watch all of one team’s games if they’re out of market. Once signed up, you’ll be able to watch games on your computer via the NBA.com website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the NBA app.
If you have FuboTV or sign up for a new subscription, you can add NBA League Pass to your channel bundle. After signing up, you’ll be able to watch games on your computer via the Fubo website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Fubo app.
If you have Sling TV or sign up for a new subscription, you can add NBA League Pass or NBA Team Pass to your channel bundle. Once signed up, you’ll be able to watch games on your computer via the Sling website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling app.
Preview
Griffin put up a career-high 50 points as the Pistons topped the Philadelphia 76ers 133-132 in overtime on Tuesday night in one of the early games of the year. On the final play of the game, Griffin was able to muscle his way through the paint as he drove to the hoop and hit an off-balance layup while drawing contact to complete the and-one play.
Center Andre Drummond has opened his 2018 campaign with a double-double in four straight games. The sixth-year pro is averaging 16 points and 16.3 rebounds per game. 76ers center Joel Embiid loves chatting, and jokingly spouted off on Drummond during and after the game saying he has “real estate” in Drummond’s head. While Drummond isn’t a great defender and horrific free-throw shooter, he is still an All-Star caliber center, and Detroit got the better of Philadelphia the first time around.
In addition to the strong play of Detroit’s pillars up front, starting point guard Reggie Jackson has had a nice start to the season. Through three games, the seventh-year guard is averaging an even 20 points per game, but on 42% shooting. A healthy Jackson is the catalyst for the Pistons offense, and his presence in the lineup is important. Last season, Detroit was 27-18 with Jackson in the lineup, and 12-25 without him, and they’ve only upgraded on Tobias Harris with Griffin since.
Despite the 0-4 record, there have been a few bright spots for head coach Tyronne Lue and Cleveland. One being forward Cedi Osman, who had a strong preseason and seems poised for a breakout season.
Osman is averaging 17 points through four games. The 2015 second-round draft pick (No. 31 overall) scored in double figures in three consecutive games before an eight-point performance in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
As well as Osman has played, the Cavaliers’ best player remains Kevin Love. Love is now the leader on the court and in the locker room, and will need to continue carrying the Cavs in scoring while awaiting the development of key returnees. Through four games, Love is averaging 19 PPG on 44% shooting, and with 14.3 rebounds per game is third in the NBA — behind Drummond and the Greek Freak.