The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday behind a huge scoring output by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
James finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and four assists to pace the Cavaliers to a 103-95 victory. Irving scored a game-high 38 points and added six assists.
The Pistons struggled to contain James, who repeatedly broke past Detroit's first line of defense. That forced the Pistons to collapse inside, which opened up 3-point looks on the perimeter. Irving found himself the beneficiary, as James assisted Irving on three of his six triples.
Detroit did manage to shut down the Cavaliers' other weapons. Kevin Love finished with just seven points on 3-of-11 shooting. Similarly, J.R. Smith managed only five on 2-of-11 shooting.
Love did manage to connect with James on a full-court inbounds pass, one of four assists he dished out on the evening.
However, the Cavaliers' defense was strong and without Brandon Jennings, the Pistons struggled to generate open looks. Jennings' backup D.J. Augustin posted yet another solid stat line, scoring 19 points and handing out nine assists, but the Pistons managed to shoot just 42.2 percent from the floor.
The loss pushes the Pistons' losing streak to three, while the Cavaliers capture their seventh consecutive victory.
