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Has this series really gotten underway? As the saying goes, it doesn’t truly begin until a road team steals a win.

The Detroit Pistons came out strong early, but the Cleveland Cavaliers answered with back-to-back victories once the series shifted to Ohio.

While my Cavaliers vs. Pistons predictions and NBA picks aren’t quite strong enough to side firmly with either team in Game 5, they do point toward another standout showing from Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday, May 13.

Cavaliers vs Pistons Game 5 prediction

Who will win Cavaliers vs Pistons Game 5?

Pistons: Until a road team wins in this series, do not expect one to. That was the exact rhythm of the Cavaliers’ first-round series win, and for now, expect that to continue. This second round should gift us at least one Game 7.

Cavaliers vs Pistons best bet: Donovan Mitchell Over 27.5 points (-105)

Donovan Mitchell takes some flak for being on so many 60-win teams but never reaching a conference finals. If the Cleveland Cavaliers fall short of the Eastern Conference Finals this year, do not blame Spida.

Mitchell has cleared this prop in three straight games, most notably scoring 39 points in Monday’s second half.

Will he stay at that kind of rate? Almost certainly not. But Mitchell is carrying Cleveland’s scoring load no matter what the Detroit Pistons’ defense tries.

COVERS INTEL: Mitchell is already a volume scorer, taking 20.0 field-goal attempts per game in the regular season. That has jumped to 21.7 this postseason and 23.3 in this series.

Cavaliers vs Pistons Game 5 same-game parlay

Mitchell is not moving the ball much this series, a reflection of Detroit’s defense. While the bulk of Cleveland’s roster struggles, Mitchell understands the better scoring option is to simply keep the ball himself.

He has cleared this modest assists prop in just one of four games, averaging 2.75 assists per game. Yet, as his scoring became more efficient in the last two games, it helped spur them both Over their totals.

Cavaliers vs Pistons SGP

• Donovan Mitchell Over 27.5 points
• Donovan Mitchell Under 3.5 assists
• Over 212.5

Our "from downtown" SGP: Spida at The Rim

Donovan Mitchell’s long-range shooting has fallen off in the postseason, down to 32.3% from 36.4% in the regular season. Worse yet, he has shot just 12-of-39 from beyond the arc this series, 30.8%. Yet, he is scoring in bunches.

As absurd as it may seem, this exact same-game parlay cashed in Game 3, Mitchell hitting just 2-of-8 from deep yet scoring 31 points.

Cavaliers vs Pistons SGP

• Donovan Mitchell Over 27.5 points
• Donovan Mitchell Under 2.5 3-pointers
• Over 212.5

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Cavaliers vs Pistons odds for Game 5

• Spread: Cavaliers +4 | Pistons -4
• Moneyline: Cavaliers +150 | Pistons -180
• Over/Under: Over 212.5 | Under 212.5

Cavaliers vs Pistons betting trend to know

The Pistons have won the first half outright in 29 of their last 40 home games while the Cavaliers have lost the first half outright in 18 of their last 30 games. Find more NBA betting trends for Cavaliers vs. Pistons.

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Cavaliers vs Pistons latest injuries

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The Lakers’ roster isn’t the only thing getting restructured this offseason.

In the first offseason under Mark Walter’s ownership, the Lakers will undergo several changes in their front office and with the organization’s infrastructure while trying to keep pace in the ever-evolving NBA.

The Lakers plan to hire two assistant general managers, Rob Pelinka, the team's president of basketball operations and general manager, said in a season-ending news conference Tuesday after the Lakers were swept out of the Western Conference semifinals by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

One position will focus on pro scouting, draft scouting and player development while the other will specialize in analytics, data and the salary cap. The organization has already begun interviews, Pelinka said.

“It’s not that we’ve had holes in those places,” Pelinka said. “We got a great team of people that works incredibly hard. It’s just we want to add more to that.”

Since Walter, the controlling owner of the Dodgers, became the majority owner of the Lakers in October, the Lakers have gradually reshaped front office and business operations. Joey and Jesse Buss were controversially fired in a front office shake-up that occurred less than a month after the sale was finalized. The brothers of Jeanie Buss worked in the front office, with Joey serving as alternate governor, vice president of research and development and the chief executive of the G League team. Jesse was the team’s assistant general manager and director of scouting.

Read more:Lakers want LeBron James and Austin Reaves to return next season

Lakers executives are now responsible for shaping a roster that has eight players facing unrestricted free agency or have player options this summer, including stars LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

The Lakers scouts were already in Chicago for the NBA draft combine Tuesday morning after the team's season-ending loss Monday. Pelinka was scheduled to join them later that afternoon. With the 25th pick in the draft, the Lakers will interview about 20 players before the draft that begins June 23. The Lakers added former Virginia head coach Tony Bennett as a draft advisor in February to help with the process.

“Tony has said he never, ever wants to coach again,” Pelinka said. “That chapter in his life is 100% over. But having sort of the mind of a builder and a coach in our draft department with our scouts has been incredibly special, just to see that interaction.”

On the business side, the new ownership group swiftly brought in Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen to lead Lakers' business operations. He created two new roles to drive revenue, oversee business strategy and grow interest in the franchise in both domestic and international markets.

Already catering to one of the more glamorous fan bases in the league, the Lakers added a row of courtside seats behind each basket for postseason games. They announced the search for a new jersey patch sponsor and sent out season ticket renewal notices that irked fans facing high markups.

Moving the G League team from the South Bay to the Coachella Valley opened another business opportunity. The Coachella Valley Lakers will open the 2026-27 season in the 11,000-seat Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert.

Read more:Swanson: Just say no. Lakers should learn their lesson, avoid Giannis Antetokounmpo

Sharing the same facility in El Segundo made integration of the two rosters seamless. Several established players, including James, participated in G League practices this season while rehabbing long-term injuries, and developing players, including Bronny James and rookie Adou Thiero, got valuable playing time with the South Bay Lakers to build their confidence for their small roles on the NBA roster. The South Bay Lakers advanced to the G League Western Conference finals this year, but lost while key players Kobe Bufkin, Dalton Knecht and Nick Smith Jr. played with the then-shorthanded NBA team.

Moving the G League operations allows the Lakers to use extra space in their El Segundo training center for new labs for biomechanics, movement and recovery, Pelinka said. The Lakers are working in consultation with the Dodgers for the high-tech improvements.

“It's a full rebuild and retool,” Pelinka said. “It's adding to the great things that are already here, which have led to success, but elevating it and bringing it to the next level.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been two separate teams this postseason. They’ve been an absolute buzzsaw at home. That team has been elite on both ends of the floor and has received multiple superstar performances from their core four. But if you get them away from Rocket Arena, they’ve looked pretty ordinary. This includes multiple fourth-quarter collapses in Games 4 and 6 against the Toronto Raptors and Games 1 and 2 against the Detroit Pistons.

Whether the Cavs can go about changing that trend will determine if they can advance to the conference finals. They need to win at least one game on the road to get past the Pistons. Why not do so in Game 5?

If they are going to steal Game 5, the Cavs will need to do a better job of containing Cade Cunningham when he’s at home. This postseason, Cunningham has averaged 31.8 points and 8.2 assists on 50% shooting in his six home games. That’s considerably more than he’s averaged on the road, including these two games in Cleveland, where he wasn’t his best self.

The Cavs were partially to blame for that change. They trapped him much more in Game 4 than they have at any point in the series.

“Just try get in his way,” Jarrett Allen said when asked on Monday about how to stop Cunningham. “Try to make sure that he rethinks every single pass that he’s going to take. Try to make sure that every single drive to the lane, somebody’s there to bump him, somebody’s there to contest him. Try to make everything as hard as we can for him.”

Whether the Cavs can do so in Game 5 could determine whether they can steal homecourt advantage.

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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (2-2) at Detroit Pistons (2-2)

Where: Little Ceasars Arena – Detroit, MI

When: Wed., May 13 at 8 PM

TV: ESPN

Point spread: Pistons -3.5

Cavs injury report: None

Pistons injury report: Duncan Robinson – QUESTIONABLE (back), Kevin Huerter – QUESTIONABLE (abductor strain), Caris LeVert – QUESTIONABLE (heel)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Pistons expected starting lineup: Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Previous matchup: Donovan Mitchell’s 44 points allowed Cleveland to even the series.

Here’s a look at both teams’ regular-season impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, dies of brain tumor at 47, family announces.

Jason Collins, the first openly gay player in the NBA, died following a “valiant” battle with Stage 4 glioblastoma, his family announced Tuesday. 

Collins was 47. 

The ex-Nets player and 13-year NBA veteran had revealed his diagnosis in December in a piece published by ESPN. Stage 4 glioblastoma is one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. 

Collins died peacefully at his home surrounded by his family, ESPN reported. 

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” a statement from Collins’ family said. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. 

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.” 

Collins had gone to Singapore over the winter to undergo an experimental treatment, which had been successful enough to allow him to return to the United States, appear at NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles and attend a game at Stanford, where he had played college basketball. 

The California native played in the NBA for more than a decade before he retired in 2014, playing two stints with the Nets — one while they were still in New Jersey and one in Brooklyn — along with stops with the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Hawks, Celtics and Wizards. 

Collins became a national news story in 2013 when he announced that he was gay in a cover story for Sports Illustrated. In the opening, Collins firmly declared: “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.” 

The announcement made Collins the first openly gay athlete to play in any of the four major men’s professional sports leagues in North America. 

“I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport,” he said in the story. “But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different.’ If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.” 

Collins returned to the Nets in February 2014 when he signed a 10-day contract with the now-Brooklyn-based franchise. He played 22 games for the Nets that season and was coached by Jason Kidd, who played with Collins during his first run with the organization when it was in New Jersey. He retired from the NBA in 2014 and became an ambassador for the league. 

The Nets said they were “heartbroken” over Collins’ passing.

“Jason spent eight seasons in a Nets uniform, helping define an era of our franchise and playing a vital role on our back-to-back Eastern Conference championship teams in 2002 and 2003. He was a constant in our locker room — selfless, tough, and deeply respected by teammates, coaches, and staff alike,” the Nets’ statement read.

“Jason Collins’ impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador. Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others. 

“On behalf of the NBA, I send my heartfelt condolences to Jason’s husband, Brunson, and his family, friends and colleagues across our leagues.” 

Collins married his longtime partner, Brunson Green, in May in a ceremony in Austin, Texas. 

In September, his family first revealed that he was undergoing treatment for an advanced brain tumor