The Pistons were down Caris LeVert and Jaden Ivey but Michael Jordan, Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr may not have been able to lift Detroit out of the offensive depths (37.9% FG% and 26 TOs) they were in for most of the game. What looked like a quick start, slowly drifted off into the abyss and before too long the Cavs starters left their mark. At thr 7:42 mark, the Pistons were up 16-12. At the 6:50 mark in the 4Q, they were down 108-75 -- that's a 96-59 flip over the course of three quarters. After not finishing the last few games, the Cavs put this early and never looked back.
By the Numbers
30.8%: Pistons OREB% for the game. Detroit came in 3rd in OREB% at 38%. The Cavs held their own on the boards even limiting the Pistons to a 23.1% OREB% in the 1H.
23.5%: Pistons FG% on second chance attempts -- only converting 4 of 17 opportunities.
12: Total points for Cade Cunningham which was also Detroit's leading scorer. The Cavs limited Cade to 3-for-14 shooting with 5 turnovers and just 4 assists.
19: Consecutive shots missed by the Pistons from the end of the 1Q and through most of the 2Q. They shot 20.8% in the 2Q.
46.6%: Pistons paint + restricted area shooting percentage. After being victimized by Giannis in the paint, the Cavs locked down inside in Detroit.
26: Total turnovers forced by the Cavs. Cleveland came in ranked 8th in TOV%, and only increased their ranking after the night.
35: The largest lead of the night by the Cavs.
+38: Donovan Mitchell's plus-minus, just three higher than his point total for the game (35).
15 & 11: Evan Mobley's double-double, the first for a Cavalier on the season.
6: Total assists for De'Andre Hunter which he posted in the 1H and led the Cavs on the game.
0: Total points for Luke Travers, the only player to not score in minutes played -- c'mon, Luke!
-5: Plus-minus with Donovan Mitchell off the floor. The Cavs posted a few good stretches without Mitchell but largely struggled with Lonzo Ball resting.
By the Players
Donovan Mitchell: When you have former NBA players commentating the game 'ooing' and 'awwing' throughout, you know you're doing something right. Mitchell had stretches of the game where the Cavs needed his on-ball abilities, and it almost looked too easy. What looked like might be a tough night being guard by Ausar Thompson turned into a 35-point night on 72% shooting. He made 13 FGM on the night; the Pistons starting lineup had 14 FGM.
Sam Merrill: His exit mid-3Q with a hip injury after taking a Jalen Duren charge ended what was a continuation of his brilliant play to begin the year. Merrill was playing with them from beyond the arc and knocked in three more 3's. His pump fake to reload three-point makes in the 1Q were things of beauty, and speak to the many different ways he can beat a defense.
De'Andre Hunter: We were on triple-double watch with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists by halftime, with 5 of those assists coming in the 1Q, but his offensive load was lessend as Mitchell took over in the second half with some helping from the bigs. His offensive contributions continue to be a stabilizing balance in the 1H as the Cavs try to manage offensively without some of their key players.
Evan Mobley: Kenny Atkinson needs to keep Mobley's 2Q performance on hand at all times, and have Mobley watch it every morning as he gets into the facility. The ferocity to which he was attacking the basket, and wasn't going to be denied, is the same type of ferocity he needs to play with offensively on a consistent basis. It was quick, decisive actions that went straight at the basket and straight through the defender. It wasn't settling for being pushed out onto the perimeter, or going though a series of pumpfakes to get a shot off. All 6 of his FTAs came in the quarter as a result. Examples: Here, and here.
Jarrett Allen: He was active, and involved early and it shows in his impact. 9 of his 20 points came in the 1Q, and Kenny got involved him right out of the gate. Once again, his rebounding was strong as he held a +18.8% REB% on/off split that showed by keeping Duren, Stewart and others in check. He also had a nifty weak hand find showcasing his ability to faciliate some offense.
Craig Porter Jr: Keep stacking these types of games, young fella. Only 1-for-4 from the field but 7 rebounds, 3 assists, a +18 and 3 steals. His length and athletic ability is such an asset at the guard spot and he really showed out against the Pistons. The team had a dRTG of 83 when he was on the floor. His ball pressure was excellent and consistent, and had the Piston guards in jail all night. These are the types of games that will continue to get him minutes.
Tyrese Proctor: There was a stretch of minutes in the 2Q where Kenny tried to go to him for some guard relief, and he really looked like a rookie. He had three missed shots and an offensive foul and was soon thereafter subbed out. It was for lack of effort just sometimes the game is going to move too fast for the rookie guard.
Jaylon Tyson: Aside from blowing a few layups, he really had a much better game. He was 0-2 from 3 but thought his overall floor game was much more of a positive. He was consistently picking up full court, providing strong POA defense and being physical with Piston offensive players. Again, his box score stats won't tell the full story but he competed and played well defensively.
Dean Wade: Just completely shut Cade Cunningham's lights out. The 6 rebounds and spot-up three point make were nice additions but his true value was spending a bulk of his minutes guarding Cunningham with great success. Was fun seeing him make some good cuts leading to easy buckets.
Larry Nance Jr: A relatively nondescript night plagued by foul trouble -- 5 fouls in 17+ minutes of play. The team played strong defense with him on the floor (83.8 dRTG) although they lost the battle of the boards (-15.5% REB%) and didn't get much going offensively either (92.1 oRTG). The latter says more about the guard play he had with him than anything else.
Luke Travers: Score, young fella!
Thomas Bryant: If you can guess why and how he had a cheering section in Detroit, $5 for you.
Game Notes
- The Cavs easily put together their best defensive effort of the night, and Kenny agreed. Their effort and consistency were there from start to finish after a worrisome start where the Pistons put in several spot-up three-pointers early. After that, the Cavs POA pressure, consistency in keeping the Pistons off the boards and attentive defense showed through.
- Tyson and CPJ picking up full court and applying high ball pressure really changed the flow defensively when they came in. It won’t show-up in the stat sheet, but both should be credited with their efforts, and keeping the defensive intensity going.
- What Tyson and CPJ did in the backcourt, Allen and Mobley did in the frontcourt with their rim deterrence. They did what they’re supposed to do but when they’re both on it’s fun seeing times struggling to figure out how to get good shots off around the rim.
- Perhaps part of it is the Cavs getting JA involved early and getting his motor going. He was rim running, active on the boards and handling the physicality of the Pistons well.
- Ausar Thompson has got to figure out how to shoot to some extent but he is going to continue to pose a problem for Donovan Mitchell down the road with his combination of elite athleticism, length, vertical pop and lateral mobility.
- Kenny added in postgame that Merrill was “hurting” and termed it a hip pointer. So, we may not see him for a few games. It’s a shame if so with how he was shooting from the get-go and has really been the one consistent spacer they’ve had. If he doesn’t go, it will be interesting to see how they react to who Kenny termed their best player early this year.
- The Cavs held the Pistons to 42% shooting and 6 turnovers, to just 4 assists in the 1Q with just 8 points in the final 7+ minutes. That carried over into the 2Q where the Pistons shot 20.8%. Yikes.
- Cade wasn’t playing well, and the Pistons were missing Caris LeVert and Jaden Ivey to help relieve some of the on-ball creation spots but losing Malik Beasley and Dennis Schroeder and not replacing those roles seems like it will hurt more in the long run for the Pistons then maybe they realize.
- The Cavs aggression offensively in the 1H was much appreciated as they doubled up FTA on the Pistons which help supplemented their sub-par 3P% performance over that span (just 30% in the 1H). The Cavs have been able to get to the free-throw line more consistently the last few games and it’s helped them float when their shot hasn’t gone in something they hadn’t done too well last year.
- Kenny wanted the team to create more turnovers, and they’ve been at it early this year. They forced 12 Pistons TOs in the 1H and 26 on the game. They led to 25 points off turnovers wheich is an absurd when you consider that would lead the league (as an average) by 4+ points last year. The Thunder, Warriors and Knicks were all tops in that category last year.
- The Cavs have been a good 3Q team this year, +17.4 net rating, which is a stark contrast to last year when the 3Q, albeit a positive at +1.8 net rating, was where they were a bit shaky. The Cavs came out of the locker room with an 11-5 run to quell any momentum the Pistons were hoping to gain after a rough 1H.
- And really all of that was due to Mitchell who was serving up at Little Caesar Arena. The Shammgod in transition might be the best move. He looked like he was toying with the Pistons with his ability to get to his spot whenever he wanted and consistently create and convert looks at the rim. Mitchell had 14 (4-6 FG, 4-4 FT) of his team and game high 35 points in the 3Q alone which outpaced his 13 1H points.
- Kenny mentioned postgame they’re really trying to figure out what works offensively with the second unit without Garland, Ball and Strus, and some of the lineups will continue to need work. He made the note that those lineups really have to lean more into their defensively ability and get by with that rather than their offense.
- To that point, the team was -9 in the 3Q without Mitchell on the floor in just under 3 minutes of play. This will be alleviated once fully healthy, so I wouldn’t worry just yet, but something to watch for the time being.
- The Pistons started to get back some energy with their attention to the glass and creating extra opportunities. It’s like those heyday Pistons where they try to beat you up on the boards and take the will out of you was coming back to life.
- Really appreciated Kenny recognizing some momentum shifts in the game and trying to nip them in the bud earlier rather than later (a classic JBB staple). The Pistons went on a little 5-0 run to cut the lead to 15-points in the 3Q and it felt like the Pistons could be on the verge of making it a game. The Cavs finished out the quarter playing just about even (12 to 13) and staving off any idea of a Pistons comeback.
- The 3Q was rough for the Cavs offensively, and the time for a Pistons run, yet they were able to stave them off. Only 5 3PA and 9 TOs but their 7 FTMs and holding the Pistons to 39% shooting helped alleviate their offensive woes.
- Everything Mitchell did in the 3Q carried over into the 4Q and helped close the game out. He and Mobley put in 13 points before checking out around the 7-minute mark.
- The Pistons waived the white flag at the beginning of the 4Q as Cunningham, Duren, Harris and Thompson did not play the entirety of the 4Q. But given how the Cavs didn’t finish teams off the last few nights, Kenny keeping his regular rotation until about half way through the 4Q definitely screamed of him sending the message the team has to finish no matter what.