Detroit @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 30, 2018 ) Cleveland 114, Detroit 125

The high that the Cleveland Cavaliers experienced right after the trade deadline has disappeared with losses in four of the last six games, tightening the race for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers will try to put some space between themselves and the rest of the pack when they host the stumbling Detroit Pistons on Monday.

Cleveland has three teams hot on its heels for the No. 3 spot and two others looking to make a move up in a tight grouping of teams three through eight. The Cavaliers' last four losses have all come to teams fighting for playoff spots in their respective conferences, including a 126-117 setback at home to Denver on Saturday in which they allowed the Nuggets to shot 54.7 percent from the floor and bury 19 3-pointers. The Pistons were poised to join that tight group in the East but are falling well off the pace with losses in eight of the last 10 games, including a crippling setback to the eighth-place Miami Heat on Saturday. The 105-96 loss dropped the Pistons four games behind the Heat with 19 to play, 11 of which are on the road.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBATV, FS Detroit, FS Ohio (Cleveland)

ABOUT THE PISTONS (29-34): Detroit is getting strong play from Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond in the frontcourt but is not getting enough support on the perimeter with starting point guard Reggie Jackson (ankle) still missing. Ish Smith, who is starting in place of Jackson, failed to score more than five points in any of the last three games and went 2-of-7 from the floor on Saturday as the entire backcourt struggled. "Our six perimeter guys who played were 16-for-48 and 4-for-17 from 3," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters. "That's just not going to get it done."

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (36-26): Cleveland got shooting guard JR Smith back from a team-imposed, one-game suspension on Saturday and watched him score 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting in 35 minutes - his highest point total since going for 20 on Feb. 7 against Minnesota. "We needed it," LeBron James told reporters of Smith. "He started in the second half with three or four straight buckets and felt good, felt great actually, got into a great rhythm with his dribble. They started to switch a lot with a big on him and he was just breaking the bigs down and getting to his shot. It was definitely a big-time game for him for sure." James finished with 25 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in the loss for his third triple-double in the last five games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Cavaliers SF Jeff Green (back) sat out Saturday and is not expected to play on Monday.

2. Drummond recorded a double-double in each of the last 18 games.

3. Cleveland took two of the first three meetings this season, including a 121-104 home win on Jan. 28.

PREDICTION: Cavaliers 113, Pistons 101