Both the Pistons and Cavaliers won Game 7s in their first-round series on Sunday, and on Tuesday night, they began their second-round series in Detroit.
The Pistons got off to a great start and held on to defeat the Cavaliers 111-101 at Little Caesars Arena.
The Pistons take a 1-0 series lead, and Game 2 is Thursday night in Detroit.
Detroit had six players in double figures, led by Cade Cunningham’s 23 points and Tobias Harris’ 20 points and eight rebounds. After the Cavs took an early lead in the first quarter, the Pistons pretty much led the rest of the way, as they led by as many as 17 points.
Cleveland would tie things up at 93 with 5:28 left in the contest, but the Pistons would close the game on an 18-8 run to secure the victory.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 23 points, and James Harden added 22.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs played a sloppy Game 1. They had 20 turnovers, and seven of those 20 came from Harden. Those 20 turnovers led to 31 Pistons’ points.
You can’t turn the ball over that many times and expect to win a playoff game on the road.
Additionally, Cleveland’s two best scorers, Mitchell and Harden, shot a combined 15-34 from the field.
This was a Detroit Pistons-type game. Suffocating and swarming defense, as they had 12 steals and three blocked shots. Cunningham made timely plays, and everybody else chipped in, including Duncan Robinson, who had 19 points, including five threes. Ausar Thompson added 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, and All-Star Jalen Duren had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Cleveland got nothing from starting center and Game 7 hero against the Raptors, Jarrett Allen(two points, four rebounds in 18 minutes), in Game 1 due to foul trouble.
Obviously, they are going to have to get more from him if they want to have success in this series.
In Game 2, the Cavs will have to get off to a better start and protect the ball if they want to get the split in Detroit.
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