The Cleveland Cavaliers were hoping to make it four straight wins Sunday night when they headed into Detroit to battle the Pistons.
However, behind a game-high 31 points from Saddiq Bey and a triple-double from rookie Cade Cunningham, who had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, Detroit defeated the Cavs 115-105 at Little Caesars Arena.
Cleveland’s(30-20) three-game winning streak is over, while the Pistons(12-37) snapped their four-game losing streak.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Pistons.
The Great for the Cavaliers:
Darius Garland had a team-high 24 points, including a career-high-tying five threes, with seven assists and four rebounds. The third-year guard had a great second quarter as he scored 12 points, including three threes.
-Evan Mobley was in double figures once again as he scored 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and added three blocks. This was Mobley’s 17th consecutive game in double figures. In addition, Mobley has recorded 21 multi-block games, the most by a Cavs rookie since Tristan Thompson’s 20 multi-block games during the 2011-12 season.
–The first four minutes of the first quarter: Cleveland got out early on the Pistons and led 15-0 at the 8:03 mark of the first quarter, which was their largest lead of the game. The Cavs made their first four shots, and it appeared Cleveland would run away with the game, but they only led 29-24 after one.
The Not So Great for the Cavaliers:
Rebounding: The Pistons outrebounded the Cavs 48-41. Cleveland allowed 16 offensive rebounds, and Detroit had 20 second-chance points.
Points in the paint: Detroit had a good time in the lane. The Pistons scored 64 of their 115 points in the paint. The Cavs had a hard time keeping the Pistons out of the paint, which cost them Sunday night.
Fourth Quarter: With 9:02 left in the fourth, the Cavs led 98-89. However, the Pistons would go on a 22-2 run and take a 111-100 lead with just under a minute left in the game. The 11-point lead was Detroit’s largest lead of the night. Detroit shot 61% from the field, including 60% from downtown in the quarter. Cleveland had seven turnovers in the fourth and shot 38% from the floor. The Pistons outscored the Cavs 31-17 in the final period.
Bottom Line:
Cleveland had their best win of the season when they beat the defending champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, Wednesday night, and this loss to the Pistons might have been the worst loss of the season. This is a bad loss for the Cavs, and there’s no other way to look at it. They led early and fell apart late. These are the types of losses that you regret later in the season.
However, when you’re a young team, losses like this happen, but they can’t let it happen again.
“This is a bad loss, and it is going to stick in my mind,” Garland said postgame.
What’s Next:
Cleveland gets right back at it Monday night when they head home to battle the Pelicans.
Best of the Rest:
Jarrett Allen had 15 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. Dean Wade added 14 points, and Cedi Osman chipped in with 13 points off the Cavs’ bench.
-Isaiah Stewart had a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds; Frank Jackson added 19 points off the Pistons’ bench.
