Cavs Win 3rd Straight, Taking Down Pistons 116-95 in Motown

*** During their two-game run heading into their matchup in Motown, the Cavs had built big leads then had to fend off a comeback in the second stanza. That was never an issue on Monday night in their third straight win, jumping on the Pistons late in the first quarter and never letting up from there – coasting to the 116-95 victory over their Central Division rivals at Little Caesar’s Arena. 

Donovan Mitchell scored nine points in the final 2:49 of the first period and Cleveland closed the quarter on an 11-0 run, taking a nine-point edge into the second quarter and never looking back. Shaking off any doubts about sluggishness on the second night of a back-to-back, the Cavs led by 18 at intermission, by 24 after three, and by 35 midway through the fourth quarter before both coaches empty their bench. 

All five Cavs starters notched double-figure scoring, led by Mitchell – who scored 35 points and was a +38 in his 29 minutes of work, going 13-for-18 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the stripe. 

Evan Mobley followed up an outstanding all-around effort on Sunday with his first double-double of the season, posting 15 points, a game-high 11 rebounds, five boards, a steal and three blocked shots to lead both teams. 

Jarrett Allen reached the 20-point plateau for the second time in his last three outings – chipping in with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting, adding seven boards and a steal. De’Andre Hunter pitched in with 13 points and five boards while leading both squads with six assists. 

“At the beginning of the game, we wanted to make sure that we came into the game and we didn’t [lose the lead] or it didn’t go down,” said Allen. “Against Brooklyn, against Milwaukee, we lost the lead at the end of the game. In this game, we made an emphasis on trying to keep it.”

Sam Merrill reached double-digit scoring for the fifth time in five starts this year – netting 11 points and a pair of steals. Merrill went 3-of-6 from long-range in Monday’s win and has hit at least three triples in every outing this year, shooting .514 (18-of-35) from deep. 

No Pistons player scored more than a dozen points, with Cade Cunningham leading the way with 12 – going 3-for-14 from the floor in the loss. Cleveland held the Pistons to 38 percent shooting and turned them over 26 times on the night. 

“Obviously, our two big guys were great,” praised Coach Kenny Atkinson. “When they’re that good at the rim, we’re tough to beat. You know, a stellar defensive effort.”

*** The Cavaliers didn’t get a big offensive effort from their second unit on Monday, and they didn’t need one – with Cleveland’s bench going a combined 6-for-27 from the floor. They did, however, get some good defensive efforts from guys like Craig Porter Jr., who grabbed seven boards to go with three steals, and Dean Wade, who added six rebounds and a pair of steals of his own. 

With the Cavs playing the second game of a back-to-back, Lonzo Ball got the night off. Cleveland is still without Darius Garland and Max Strus, who continue to recover from offseason surgery. 

*** The Wine & Gold continued their mastery of the Pistons and the Central Division, in general. Dating back to March 19, 2022, the Cavaliers are now 13-1 against Detroit and have gone 14-4 against their Central since the start of last year. 

*** The Cavaliers wrap up their tough away schedule to start the season – playing their fourth road game of their first five when they travel to Boston for a Wednesday night showdown with the Celtics. The Wine & Gold wrap up the month of October with a Halloween matchup against the Raptors at Rocket Arena and tip off November when they welcome the Hawks to town on Sunday evening.