Cavaliers-Pistons Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Apr 16 2012 1:40PM

While the Cleveland Cavaliers have said they believe Kyrie Irving will play before the season ends, it won't be against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

Irving, the league's potential Rookie of the Year, has missed the last eight games with a sprained right shoulder. While the Cavaliers have seven games left and are playing mostly for pride, coach Byron Scott said Irving wouldn't be shut down, although he ruled him out for Tuesday.

Scott said there's "a chance that Kyrie doesn't come back this season, but I think there is a better chance that he plays."

Cleveland (20-39) fell to 4-9 this season without the star point guard after a 100-84 loss to Orlando on Sunday - its third game in three nights. Looking fatigued, the Cavaliers committed 18 turnovers and shot 37.3 percent. They were held to 30 points in the first half.

"Everyone's body feels beat up and is tired from the season, but it's about mind over body," forward Antawn Jamison said. "We have to challenge ourselves and mentally try to push through these last couple of games."

Jamison, who got the night off Saturday, finished with 21 points but shot 5 of 13 and had four turnovers.

Cleveland also is unsure if Anderson Varejao (wrist) will return this season, having been sidelined since Feb. 10. Daniel Gibson (foot), meanwhile, has missed the last 16 games.

Injuries seem to be wearing down Cleveland, which has lost three of four. It's averaging 90.8 points and 18.0 turnovers in that span.

Detroit (22-38) also is coming off a tough stretch, losing five of six with each defeat coming to an Eastern Conference playoff contender.

The Pistons couldn't protect a six-point fourth-quarter lead against league-best Chicago on Sunday, losing 100-94 in overtime. Rodney Stuckey missed two critical free throws late in regulation before Derrick Rose hit a tying 3-pointer with 6.4 seconds remaining.

Despite the loss, it was much more competitive than Detroit's previous three defeats - to Milwaukee, Orlando and Miami by an average of 23.0 points.

"We did everything we needed to win the game other than actually winning the game," coach Lawrence Frank said. "We made a ton of winning plays, but in this league it is all or nothing, and at the end, the outcome is a loss."

Stuckey finished with 32 points after playing limited minutes in the previous three games due to a knee problem. Charlie Villanueva added a season-high 13 off the bench after previously appearing in just six games due to injuries.

Stuckey left in the first quarter of the most recent matchup with the Cavaliers due to a hamstring injury, but the Pistons won 87-75 on March 28 behind Tayshaun Prince's 29 points. He totaled 17 in the first two meetings, and Detroit lost both.

Pistons rookie Brandon Knight has played well in the season series, averaging 21.0 points and 4.7 assists. Knight is averaging 12.8 points overall but has scored 19.7 per game in the last three.

Pistons embarrass Cavaliers 116-77

By NOAH TRISTER
Posted Apr 18 2012 1:04AM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) Greg Monroe dribbled out from near his own basket all the way into the frontcourt. Then the 6-foot-11 center made a nice pass to Brandon Knight, who dunked the ball at the buzzer.

On this night, it really was that easy for the Detroit Pistons.

"Sometimes, there are just crazy nights like that," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "Everything you shoot goes in. For them, everything they shoot doesn't. We've all been there."

Knight had 28 points and seven assists, and the Pistons routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-77 on Tuesday night in one of the NBA's most lopsided games of the season. Tayshaun Prince added 15 points for Detroit and Jonas Jerebko scored 14.

The Pistons led 61-38 at halftime and scored the first 16 points of the third quarter. Knight's dunk made it 100-50 after three.

"That's one of the worst games we've played in a long, long time. The Pistons played at least 10 times harder than we did," Cleveland coach Byron Scott said. "We've got another game tomorrow, and I told them that we must have a better effort than this."

The Cavaliers were without rookie point guard Kyrie Irving, who was out with a right shoulder problem and hasn't played since April 3. Irving could return Wednesday night against Philadelphia. Cleveland forward Alonzo Gee was a late scratch Tuesday because of a left ankle sprain.

It was easily Detroit's most lopsided victory of the season, and the only real suspense in the fourth quarter was whether the Pistons could match or exceed the biggest blowout in the entire league this season. According to STATS, LLC, the mark is Portland's 112-68 victory over Charlotte on Feb. 1.

Detroit led 116-68 before Cleveland's Manny Harris made a 3-pointer, Lester Hudson drove for a three-point play and Harris hit another 3.

Harris led the Cavaliers with 18 points.

Detroit shot 60 percent from the field, with Knight going 11 of 12. Monroe had 12 points and 13 rebounds and Jason Maxiell scored 11 points.

"We want to finish strong and we still have a lot of time to continue to get better," Monroe said. "We want to win these last games."

Cleveland entered the game at the bottom of the Central Division, but with only one more loss than Detroit. But the Cavaliers couldn't have looked more overmatched.

"Even though the season is winding down, we wanted to set the tone for next year and the offseason and continue to build on that," Knight said.

Maxiell had two early dunks, and the Pistons raced to an 18-5 lead. Detroit led by 11 points after one and shot 12 of 16 in the second quarter, all but wrapping up the game by the time Bell Biv DeVoe came out for a halftime concert.

It got really out of hand in the third quarter. A dunk by Monroe made it 77-38 before Anthony Parker made a 3-pointer for Cleveland's first points of the half.

Cleveland's Antawn Jamison scored three points and was 0 for 10 from the field. The Cavaliers were outscored by 47 points with him on the court.

"Trust me, I'm trying to figure out what happened myself," Jamison said. "I just know that I'm not going to be watching SportsCenter or reading any newspapers for the next couple days."

NOTES: The Pistons shot 18 of 20 from the free throw line. ... The Cavaliers made 27 field goals and turned the ball over 19 times. ... Irving was shooting around on the court before the game. "It feels pretty good," Irving said of his shoulder. "I've had a lot of days of rest."

Notebook: Pistons 116, Cavaliers 77

Posted Tuesday April 17, 2012 11:09PM

By Dana Gauruder, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Rookie guard Brandon Knight scored a career-high 28 points, including 19 in the third quarter, and added seven assists as the Detroit Pistons rolled to a 116-77 victory over the depleted Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday at The Palace. Center Greg Monroe added his 29th double-double this season with 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons, who led 100-50 after three quarters. Reserve guard Manny Harris led the Cavaliers with 18 points.

QUOTABLE: "The game is slowing down for him. It takes a little time to get all the way acclimated to the NBA game. He's getting to the point where he's real comfortable and the game is slower. The first few months in the league, everything is moving at 100 miles an hour. Now, everything is slowing down for him and that's what you're seeing right now."
-- Monroe on Knight's progress

THE STAT: 39. The margin of victory was the Pistons' largest since Dec. 31, 2007, when they defeated Milwaukee by 45, 114-69. Detroit's biggest margin of victory this season prior to Tuesday was 24 against Charlotte on April 12. Until the Cavaliers outscored the Pistons 27-16 in the fourth quarter, Detroit threatened to collect its first 50-point victory since it defeated Boston 118-66 on Jan. 31, 2003. The 39-point loss tied Cleveland's most lopsided defeat this season; it also lost by 39, 114-75, to Chicago on Jan. 20.

TURNING POINT: This one got away from the Cavaliers in the opening minutes. The Pistons went on a 16-3 run to take an 18-5 lead, sparked by power forward Jason Maxiell's steal against Cavs guard Anthony Parker, which he turned into a fast-break dunk. Maxiell had another dunk while forward Tayshaun Prince scored six of his 15 points.

QUOTABLE II: "It means nothing, really. You enjoy it while you can but we have a game (Wednesday) against the Hawks and it really means nothing to be up 50. We want to continue to look at what we did well tonight and make sure it translates over to tomorrow when we play a playoff team."
-- Knight on Detroit's huge lead

HOT: Knight has scored at least 23 points in three of four games against the Cavaliers this season. He is finishing the season with a flurry, averaging 21.8 points and 7.3 assists over the last four games. That has boosted his season averages to 13.0 points and 3.8 assists. Knight was 8-for-9 during his third-quarter outburst, including three 3-pointers.

NOT: Cavs veteran forward Antawn Jamison had one of the worst nights of his career, missing all 10 of his field-goal attempts while making four turnovers. Jamison's plus-minus rating of minus-47 was the worst in the NBA this season.

ROOKIE WATCH: Cleveland's Tristan Thompson recorded his eighth double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He's playing out of position at center because of injuries.

NOTABLE: Cleveland's star rookie, point guard Kyrie Irving, could return to action against Philadelphia on Wednesday after participating in Tuesday's shootaround. He has missed nine consecutive games with a sprained right shoulder. "We'll see how he feels (Wednesday) morning," coach Byron Scott said. "He's pretty close." ... Cavs forward Alonzo Gee was a late scratch with a sprained left ankle. Omri Casspi had 11 points while replacing him in the lineup. ... Detroit's 60-percent shooting was a season high. ... Pistons reserve forward Jonas Jerebko had 14 points.

UP NEXT: For the Cavaliers, Wednesday vs. Philadelphia, Friday vs. New York, Sunday @ San Antonio. For the Pistons, Wednesday @ Atlanta, Thursday vs. Minnesota, Sunday vs. Toronto.

• Cavaliers: Erden, Harangody
• Pistons: Macklin

• Cavaliers: --
• Pistons: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
• Officials: #7 Kevin Fehr, #22 Bill Spooner, #54 Nick Buchert
• Attendance: 11595
• Duration: 2:03