Cavs Take Down Pistons in Preseason Finale

After resting most of their regulars in the penultimate preseason contest on Sunday night in Beantown, the Cavaliers went with their regular rotation for four quarters in the final exhibition tune-up on Tuesday – and got Kenny Atkinson his first preseason win as Cleveland’s coach in the process. 

The Cavs put up 42 points in the opening quarter and although Detroit closed the gap over the next two quarters, Cleveland closed the final period strong, leading by double-figures for most of it and cruising to the 118-110 victory at Rocket Arena. 

Four of Cleveland’s five starters tally double-figure scoring in the win, and the only one who didn’t – Evan Mobley – still swatted three shots to go with six boards, five assists, two steals and eight points. 

Donovan Mitchell led the Wine & Gold with 17 points, going 6-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from deep before fouling out late in the contest. Sam Merrill, getting the backcourt start across from Mitchell, added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, drilling a pair of triples in the victory. 

Jarrett Allen was rock-solid, chipping in with 15 points, six boards and a pair of blocks and De’Andre Hunter rounded out the starters in double-figures with 14 points in just 14 minutes of action, mostly due to a knee bruise that sidelined him for the second half.

Maybe the most impressive performances of the night came from a pair of Cavalier reserves.

Dean Wade came off the bench to finish with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds – going 5-of-10 from the field, 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. Four of Wade’s nine board came off the offensive glass. The Wine & Gold were +18 in Wade’s 22 minutes of action. 

Lonzo Ball, acquired from Chicago over the summer, capped his first preseason in Cleveland, leading both teams with nine assists, adding nine poinst and tying Mobley with three blocked shots in just 20 minutes of work.  

Overall, the Cavaliers shot 47 percent from the floor, canned 17 three-pointers and handed out 33 assists. 

Detroit was led by Tobias Harris and Daniss Jenkins who finished with 19 points apiece. Former Cavalier Caris LeVert – along with starters Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey didn’t see action in Tuesday’s affair. 

The Cavaliers will get a week of practice before tipping off the 2025-26 season next Tuesday night in New York. The next time the Wine & Gold take the floor at Rocket Arena will be against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 26 in the home opener.