Cavs Claim 113–109 Rematch Victory Over Detroit

Overall, Detroit shot 51 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Cavs, 44-38, but Cleveland drilled 17 three-pointers and committed just 10 turnovers against a team that leads the NBA in steals. 

The Cavs also got excellent two-way production off their bench on Tuesday. 

Dennis Schröder led all reserves with 15 points, going 6-of-10 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from long-range, adding five boards, five assists and finishing with a team-best +16 plus/minus number in 28 minutes of work. 

In his 22 minutes of action off the bench, Craig Porter Jr. led Cleveland with eight rebounds, adding seven points and three assists in the win. Thomas Bryant chipped in with nine points to go with five boards and a steal. And Keon Ellis added seven points, four boards, and a blocked shot before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. 

As he did in Friday’s meeting against the Cavs, Jalen Duren led both teams in scoring and rebounding – finishing with 24 points and 14 boards. Former Cavalier Javonte Green led Detroit’s second unit with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 13 minutes off the bench. 

*** After knocking off the Pistons, the Cavaliers get a rare four-day break before returning to action for a big Eastern Conference back-to-back, beginning with a Sunday afternoon showdown against the Celtics at Rocket Arena, with the Sixers rolling in the following night. It’s back on the road from there, traveling to Orlando next Wednesday before playing a pair against the only team they haven’t yet faced this season – heading to Dallas for a Friday night meeting before welcome the Mavericks to town the following Sunday. 

*** Tuesday’s rematch with the Pistons wasn’t a knock-down-drag-out thriller like last Friday’s wild contest in Motown – and it wasn’t exactly a thing of beauty – but in the end, the Wine & Gold had enough in the tank to hold off the East’s top team, earning the 113-109 decision over the Pistons at Rocket Arena. 

Cleveland committed just three turnovers through the first three quarters, but Detroit turned up the heat late, cutting the Cavs’ 11-point lead to just one with under three minutes to play. But Dennis Schröder and James Harden’s back-to-back buckets were enough to seal the deal in the closing moments. 

Playing their fourth straight game without Donovan Mitchell and most of the second half without Jarrett Allen – who went out after banging his knee in the third quarter – the Cavaliers still managed to go nearly wire-to-wire on Tuesday night, grabbing the lead one minute in the second quarter and never looking back from there. 

Jaylon Tyson led the way on both ends for the Wine & Gold – leading Cleveland with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-12 from deep, adding four assists, three boards and a pair of blocks – while making life miserable for Cade Cunningham most of the night. Detroit’s two-time All-Star guard led both teams with 14 assists, but was held to a season-low 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting. 

“That’s what I wake up to do every day,” said the sophomore swingman from Cal. “That’s what I love to do. I love those matchups. That’s what gets me going.”

James Harden led Cleveland with seven assists to go with 18 points, going 5-of-17 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the stripe, adding five boards in the win. Evan Mobley finished with 18 points of his own on 5-of-9 shooting, grabbing five boards, handing out four dimes and adding a pair of steals. 

“(Ausar) Thompson was getting physical with (Harden), but his offensive physicality, his ability to get open, that’s playoff basketball,” praised Kenny Atkinson. “Especially when teams are denying him. That lefty drive he made with the contact, getting hit multiple times and he finishes it. He got into a little action that he liked, and we just kept going to it. That’s like ‘quarterback’ leadership, elite quarterback IQ, because you have to find the thing at the end of the game that works. And usually it’s your best players who find that.”