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Cavaliers 122, Pistons 100
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
CLEVELAND — Guard Dion Waiters fired in a game-high 22 points and dished out eight assists in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 122-100 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavaliers’ playoff hopes remained alive — barely.
Cleveland (32-47) had seven players reach double figures in scoring. Center Tyler Zeller scored 18 points, and center Spencer Hawes finished with 15 points — 13 in the first quarter — and eight rebounds. Guard Matthew Dellavedova recorded his third double-double on the season with 14 points and a career-high 12 assists.
Guard Brandon Jennings and forward Jonas Jerebko each had 17 points for the Pistons (29-50). Guard Rodney Stuckey and forward Greg Monroe each added 15 points, while center Andre Drummond had 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Cavaliers dished out a season-high 41 assists, one off the NBA high this season set by the Charlotte Bobcats on Feb. 11. Cleveland had a franchise-record 26 assists in the first half.
Cleveland shot 57 percent from the field, compared to Detroit’s 35.4 percent. The Cavaliers dropped in a season-high 53 field goals, and they outrebounded the Pistons 47-46.
The game was decided in the first half, as the Cavaliers led 69-37 at halftime. The Pistons showed some life in the third quarter, outscoring the Cavs 33-29. However, they still trailed by 28 points after three quarters.
The Cavaliers shot 63.8 percent from the field in the first half, compared to the Pistons’ 27.7 percent.
Cleveland dished out a franchise-record 26 assists in the first half.
Dellavedova had 11 points and five assists in the second quarter, when Cleveland outscored Detroit 38-19.
NOTES: Cavaliers G Kyrie Irving is going to have an extremely busy and eventful summer. The Cavaliers are expected to offer Irving a five-year, $80 million maximum extension on July 1. If he wants to get that done before his USA Basketball obligations, he will have to get moving. Training camp starts July 28 in Las Vegas. It might wrap up in the gold-medal game of the World Cup in Madrid, Spain, on Sept. 14. … Derrick Gordon, a University of Massachusetts guard, became the first openly gay male basketball player in Division I. He was one of Irving’s high school teammates. … Pistons F Josh Smith missed his second consecutive game with left patellar tendinitis. “I don’t think it’s been nagging him very long,” Detroit interim coach John Loyer said. … Loyer allowed Connecticut alumni F Charlie Villanueva and C Andre Drummond to attend the NCAA championship game Monday. The Huskies defeated Kentucky for the title. “Sometime, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Loyer said.
