CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers still have work to do. They weren’t able to control the paint against a physical Detroit Pistons team and lost 114-110 because of it.
The Cavs had a strong start defensively. They forced seven turnovers and held Detroit to just 19 first-quarter points. It was exactly what the Cavaliers needed to do if they wanted to win this game.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, they weren’t able to keep that going. Any semblance of good defense went out the window in the second quarter.
The Cavaliers completely let go of the rope in the second quarter. They let the Pistons score 47 points by continually getting to the basket. The Cavaliers’ offense wasn’t able to keep up as they lost the quarter by 19 points and took a 10-point deficit into the second half.
Cleveland fought back in the third quarter thanks to 13 points from Donovan Mitchell in that frame, and even tied the score near the end of the frame.
The Pistons took back control in the fourth quarter. They pushed their lead to 13 points before the Cavs made a late charge. They cut the deficit to two in the final minute, but weren’t able to get the stop they needed late to get it over the finish line. An offensive rebound and put-back from Ausar Thompson effectively put the game away.
The Cavaliers’ lack of depth up front came back to bite them. Jarrett Allen (illness) and Dean Wade (knee) were unavailable on Saturday. Detroit was without its own starting center, Jalen Duran, but was more than able to make up for it.
The Pistons controlled the paint on both sides. They outscored the Cavs 40-30 in the paint and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, which led to 14 second-chance points.
Mitchell had a game-high 30 points on 10-22 shooting with six rebounds. Darius Garland added 16 points and six assists.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 27 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in the win. Daniss Jenkins poured in 25 points on 7-10 shooting off the bench.
This was supposed to be a measuring stick game for the Cavs. They came into this one winning three in a row and five out of their last seven. Even though they had good moments in this game in the first and third quarters, they still have work to do to get on the Pistons’ tier.
The Cavs will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday at 7 PM.