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Wrap-Up -- The surging Pistons and their dominant frontline would have been a tall order for any opponent on Saturday night. With three of their top four bigs on the shelf, the Wine & Gold were simply no match.
Playing without Tristan Thompson, Ante Zizic and Kevin Love, the Cavaliers trailed 30-plus for most of the contest before Detroit called off the dogs late – taking the one-sided, 129-93, decision at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Pistons had won seven of nine before making their first visit of the season, and they met little resistance on Saturday – opening up a double-digit lead midway through the first period and coasting home from there.
For the Cavaliers, Zizic – who’d been the regular starter at center – was out after taking an elbow to the chops in Thursday’s win in New York and being placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol. Thompson’s been out since January 16 with a foot injury and Love was given the night off with the Wine & Gold electing not to play him in both games of a back-to-back the rest of the way.
The Pistons All-Star duo of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin took immediate advantage of the Wine & Gold’s depleted frontcourt early.
In just 26 minutes of work, Griffin went for 14 points, seven boards and a game-high nine assists. Drummond finished with 13 points and 10 boards to register a double-double in his 14th straight game – a run dating back to late-January.
But the Pistons bigs were almost the least of Cleveland’s troubles on Saturday. Detroit’s guard combo of Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard off the bench were nearly unstoppable – combining for an even 50 points, going a collective 19-of-26 from the floor, including 10-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Collin Sexton tallies a team-high 16 points in Cavs loss to Pistons.
Five Cavaliers finished in double-figures, but only Collin Sexton finished with more than 11 points – and it took the Young Bull going 10-of-13 from the stripe to get his 16, going 3-of-13 from the field without an assist in 35 minutes.
Larry Nance Jr., who got the unenviable start at center, finished with 11 points, five boards, three assists and a steal. Jordan Clarkson tallied 11 points as well, but like Sexton, struggled to get every one of them – going 4-of-13 from the field to go with three boards, three assists and a pair of steals.
Cedi Osman and Brandon Knight each finished with 10 points in the loss. Despite not lighting up the scoreboard, both were efficient from long-range, with Osman going 2-of-4 from deep and Knight canning three of his four long-distance attempts.
On the night, Detroit shot 54 percent from the floor, went 15-of-17 from the stripe, canned a season-high-tying 20 three-point field goals and scored a season-high 42 points in the first quarter.
Turning Point -- If there was a turning point to Saturday’s contest, it happened before some fans might’ve reached their seats.
Cleveland scored the game’s first three points on a deep Brandon Knight jumper and tied the game at seven early in the first. But Reggie Jackson proceeded to score eight straight points, propelling a 12-0 Detroit run.
After a quick back-and-forth, the Pistons opened up an 11-point edge with 4:29 to play in the period – and they would lead by double-figures the rest of the way, opening up a lead as large as 39 early in the third.
By the Numbers – .581 … Cedi Osman’s three-point percentage (18-of-31) over his last six games.
Quotable – Cedi Osman, on Saturday night’s tough loss to the Pistons …
"Definitely the energy was the most important thing we missed tonight. We didn’t have Big Z (Ante Zizic) and K-Love (Kevin Love), but that can’t be an excuse. We played bad. It was a bad night for everybody, but the good thing is that we have a new game tomorrow. We have to bounce back and play better."
Up Next -- With Saturday’s lopsided loss behind them, the Wine & Gold stay home for the second-half of their weekend back-to-back – welcoming the Magic to town for a Sunday evening affair. The Cavs then hit the road for a pair, traveling to Brooklyn for a Wednesday meeting with the Nets followed by their final visit to Miami (and meeting against Dwyane Wade) this season. Cleveland returns home to face the Raptors next Monday night at The Q before hitting the road for three straight – with visits to Philadelphia, Orlando and Dallas on the slate.