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The Cavs took a commanding 3-0 lead in their opening round series with a hard-fought, physical road win in Detroit tonight. The Pistons were primed and ready to reward their home fans, but the Cavs were focused and executed in the second half on both ends of the floor to pull away late in this one for a 101-91 victory. The Big Three led the way once again, with Kyrie Irving scoring 26 points, and Kevin Love and LeBron James each scoring 20. LeBron and Love each had double-doubles with 13 and 12 rebounds, respectively. Matthew Dellavedova played an excellent floor game off the bench with 12 points and five assists. The Cavs out-rebounded the Pistons 46-32, and although the game was close throughout, they never let Detroit’s best players impact the game the way that they wanted to.
The first quarter tonight set the tone for what would be a back-and-forth battle of execution and physical play. The Pistons came out with energy, which should have been expected since they were playing their first home playoff game in seven years. Marcus Morris led the Pistons with eight points in the quarter, as the home team captured a 27-24 lead. The Pistons had a balanced attack, but the Cavs, as they have done in the first two games, did not Detroit’s best players impact the game dramatically. Andre Drummond, who led the NBA in rebounding this year, did not garner a single board in the first quarter, and Reggie Jackson, who has had big games against the Cavs this year, was held in check and kept out of the paint. The Cavs were led by Kyrie Irving with eight points on 4-5 shooting from the field. Kevin Love was aggressive early as well, scoring seven points and grabbing five boards.
The Cavs found a better rhythm on offense in the second quarter, as LeBron was more involved and active in transition and in the paint. After just four points in the opening period, LeBron would finish the half with 11 points and seven rebounds, helping the Cavs overcome their first quarter deficit and take a 54-53 lead into the half. Kyrie Irving had a very efficient first half, scoring 13 points on 6-8 shooting from the field. For the Pistons, Andre Drummond was effective offensively, scoring 11 points, but the NBA’s leading rebounder was only able to collect one rebound in the half. Drummond is more effective for the Pistons if he is gathering second-chance opportunities and controlling the paint, and the Cavs have done an excellent job of neutralizing that aspect of Detroit’s attack.
Much like the first two games of this series, the Cavs’ defense picked up in the second half. The Pistons were only able to score two points in the first four minutes after halftime, but the Cavs’ offense was not able to pull away. The Cavs defense held the Pistons to just 20 points in the quarter, and a late spurt on offense gave the Cavs a six point through three quarters.
The fourth quarter saw the Cavs take an early nine-point lead, which was the biggest of the game at the time. The Pistons battled back to cut the lead to just one point, but the good guys found ways to get stops and earn the win. Critical to the effort for the Cavs was the decision by Tyronn Lue to foul Andre Drummond intentionally with halfway through the period. The worst free throw shooter in the history of the NBA missed both free throws and Detroit, hoping to avoid more empty trips to the line, pulled him from the lineup and he never returned. The Cavs took advantage of his absence and closed this one out with some timely 3-point shots by JR Smith and Kyrie Irving. Specifically, a corner dagger by Kyrie Irving with only .7 on the shot clock was the nail in the coffin for the Pistons.
The Cavs will look to close out the Pistons in Detroit on Sunday, and if they are able to win they will give themselves plenty of rest as they await the winner of the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks series.
Click “Next” to see all the highlights from tonight’s game!
Detroit got the first bucket of the game, but LeBron James starts the game out aggressive. He gets the ball from Kyrie Irving, and drives right at the basket, parting a sea of Detroit Pistons before throwing down a thunderous dunk.
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LeBron James cuts towards the basket as Shumpert shoots the corner triple, and Andre Drummond clearly goes and throws an elbow right at LeBron James’ neck. He also did something in Game 2 on a dead ball.
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With just 0.7 left on the clock, coach Tyronn Lue called a timeout to set up a play. Matthew Dellavedova inbounds the ball to the deep corner to Kyrie Irving, who quickly elevates and hits the incredibly tough threes.