The Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the East-leading Detroit Pistons 113-109 despite playing without Donovan Mitchell on Tuesday night.
Jaylon Tyson had 22 points, James Harden added 18, Evan Mobley added 18 and Dennis Schroder added 15 for the Cavs after splitting their four regular season games with Detroit.
Mitchell sat out his fourth straight game with a nagging groin injury.
On the other end, Jalen Duren scored 24 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons, and Tobias Harris added 19. Cade Cunningham dished out 14 assists, but scored just 10 on 4-of-16 shooting.
The Pistons’ winning streak ended after six games.
Detroit cut the lead from 11 points down to one in the fourth, but Sam Merrill hit a big 3-pointer to help the Cavs hold on.
Meanwhile, it was the final meeting between the Cavaliers and Pistons before the playoffs, a rivalry reborn after last week’s road loss to the Cavs, with the Pistons being said to be “out of our league.”
Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff was fired by the Cavs in 2024 and dismissed the bravado before Tuesday’s game.
Cleveland center Jarrett Allen is coming off one of the best stretches of his career, but suffered a knee injury in the third and did not return.
Isaiah Steward returned from a seven-game suspension and played 22 minutes.
Up next: The Pistons at San Antonio on Thursday, while the Cavaliers host the Celtics on Sunday.
#Tyson #Harden #lead #Cavs #beat #Pistons #Mitchell #TalkBasket.net