Larry Nance Jr. doubtful as Cavaliers face Pistons Game 7 — Cleveland Cavaliers Vs Knicks Stats
The cleveland cavaliers vs knicks stats picture changed before Sunday night’s Game 7, with Larry Nance Jr. listed as doubtful for Cleveland while Detroit had Duncan Robinson, Kevin Huerter and Caris LeVert available to play. The winner at Little Caesars Arena will move on to face the New York Knicks in the conference finals.
Little Caesars Arena sets the stakes
Game 7 tips at 8:00 p.m. ET, and the Cavaliers enter with one major subtraction on their injury report: Nance is doubtful because of illness and is expected to miss a second straight game. He last appeared on April 23.
Detroit’s side shifted in the other direction. Robinson, Huerter and LeVert participated in morning shootaround and were all available at 7:30 p.m., giving the Pistons a deeper group for a winner-take-all game.
Detroit gains three bodies
Robinson’s return matters because he missed Game 5 with lower back soreness, then came back in Game 6 and scored 14 points with four 3-pointers in 20 minutes. He had been averaging 11.8 points and more than three made 3-pointers per game in the postseason.
LeVert played through a lingering heel contusion and had 24 points in one game earlier in the series. Huerter has been limited by an adductor strain. That gives Detroit multiple rotation pieces it did not have at full strength in earlier games.
Cleveland needs a cleaner game
Cleveland’s margin for error shrank after its 115-94 loss at home in Game 6. The Cavaliers committed 20 turnovers, and those mistakes turned into 28 Pistons points while Detroit also outscored Cleveland’s bench 48-19.
James Harden led Cleveland with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in that defeat. Afterward, he said, “We never really kicked it to that second level.” He also said, “It was never just a consistent flow at either end of the floor.”
The series now turns on who handles the cleaner rotation. Cleveland has to replace Nance’s minutes if he sits, while Detroit walks into Game 7 with three players back in the mix and a chance to carry the momentum from Game 6 into a home-court decider.
