No Donovan Mitchell(ankle sprain), no Darius Garland(knee sprain), and no problems as the Cavs went into Detroit(2-8) without its two top scorers and got their seventh straight win as they routed the Pistons 112-88.
Cleveland(7-1), who led by as many as 30 points, had all hands on deck as they had six players in double figures.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over Toronto:
Great:
Evan Mobley was a beast on defense! He had a career-high eight blocks as he became the youngest player in Cavs history to record that many blocks in a game. In addition, he had 11 points and eight rebounds. Cleveland was tough on defense as they recorded 13 blocks, held Detroit to 37% shooting, and forced 19 turnovers that led to 28 points.
Kevin Love almost messed around and had a triple-double, as he had 21 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists off the bench. Love stepped up and handled his business for Cleveland. In addition, Love was a game-high plus-30. The Cavs got 54 points from its bench, including 15 points from Cedi Osman.
Jarrett Allen had 17 of his season-high 23 points in the first half, seven rebounds, and two blocks.
Caris LeVert started at point guard and had 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Second quarter: Cleveland blew the game open in the second quarter. The Cavs led 24-21 after the first quarter. They went on a 23-5 run to take a 21-point lead in the second. Cleveland outscored the Pistons 33-18 in the quarter. They shot 63% in the second and held the Pistons to 32% from the field. The Cavs led 57-39 at the break.
Not So Great:
It’s all great!! Nothing to see here!
Bottom Line:
The Cavs came together as a team, and great things happened. Everyone stepped up their game, and that’s what you need to do when your top players are down. The NBA is weird like that sometimes. When the chips are down, the other guys get it done.
What’s Next:
The Cavs head west as they battle LeBron and the Lakers on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
Best of the Rest:
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Jaden Ivey and Saddiq Bey had 18 apiece.
According to Elias Sports, Love (21 PTS, 10 AST, 8 REB) became the first Cavs player ever to record 20-plus 10-plus assists and eight-plus rebounds off the bench. Love’s time-on-court (23:26) is the lowest of any player in the shot clock era (1954-55) to hit those minimums.
Junkyard Dog:
Everybody gets the award! J.B. Bickerstaff gave the prize to the whole team.
