NBA Game Summary - Detroit at Cleveland
Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James got his second triple-double this month and the Cleveland Cavaliers made 17 3-pointers to easily beat the Detroit Pistons 109-97 on Monday with four starters back in the lineup.
The Cavaliers were coming off consecutive losses in a home-and-home series with the Celtics, including a 117-78 blowout in Boston on Sunday when they rested James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and J.R. Smith in their most lopsided loss of the season.
James finished with 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds and Smith scored a game-high 28 points. Timofey Mozgov added 16 points and 13 rebounds and Irving scored 12 before sitting out the second half with hip soreness.
The Central Division champions will finish the regular season on Wednesday at home against Washington. They own the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and are still waiting to find out who their first-round opponent will be.
"I'm very excited and happy about our rhythm tonight," said James. "That's the only thing you kind of fear when guys sit out. But tonight, it was like we didn't take games off at all and it was great to have that rhythm tonight versus a very offensively powerful team."
Andre Drummond had 20 points and nine rebounds and Caron Butler scored 19 for the Pistons, who have dropped five of their last seven. They remain on the road to play New York on Wednesday in their season finale.
Irving and Mozgov each scored eight points in the first quarter and the Cavs shot 56 percent for a 36-14 lead going into the second.
Detroit's only lead was 3-2. Cleveland scored 23 of the next 28 points to take control and later led by as much as 26 four times in the second quarter.
"We just got totally outcompeted from the beginning of the game on," said Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy. "We got blown out and the game was over at the end of one (quarter)."
Smith led all players with 16 points in the first half and the Cavs held the Pistons under 35 percent shooting for a 62-37 lead at the break.
It was never closer than 19 points in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth.
James played the entire third quarter, scoring 13 of his 21 points. He made three 3-pointers in the quarter, including one that gave the Cavs a 25-point lead.