No Cade, no problem: Detroit Pistons stun East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, 133-122

Despite missing key players Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris due to injuries, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 133-122.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Pistons in scoring with a season-high 32 points, while Ausar Thompson achieved a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pistons ended a 12-game losing streak against the Cavaliers, securing their first winning season since 2015-16.

Down two of their top players Friday, the Detroit Pistons needed multiple players to step up with the Cleveland Cavaliers on town.

That they got, allowing them to pull off one of the biggest wins of the season. The Pistons (42-32) handled the Eastern Conference’s best team at Little Caesars Arena, 133-122, to clinch a winning record for the first time since the 2015-16 season and officially triple last year’s total of 14 wins.

Cade Cunningham missed his third consecutive game with a left shin contusion, and Tobias Harris, who was ruled out late with right achilles tendinopathy. Cunningham is day-to-day moving forward, the team announced Friday. Dennis Schröder started his third-straight game, and Malik Beasley replaced Harris.

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The victory snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Cavaliers that dated back to Feb. 24, 2022. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a season-high 32 points, Beasley scored 19 and Ausar Thompson added 18 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Schröder (17 points, 10 assists), Jalen Duren (16 points, 13 assists), Isaiah Stewart (14 points) and Ron Holland II (10 points, 2-for-3 from 3) also scored in double figures.

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The Cavaliers were mostly healthy and had their star trio of Donovan Mitchell (who led all players with 38 points), Darius Garland (21 points, six assists) and Evan Mobley (nine points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks).

After leading by 21 points late in the third quarter, the Cavaliers rallied in the final period and cut it to two, 119-117, after big 3-pointers from Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. They outscored the Pistons, 36-18, in the fourth quarter before the Pistons responded with a 12-1 run to clinch the win. Malik Beasley drew a 3-point foul and knocked down all three free throws to spark the run, and Schröder added a 3 and a midrange jumper.

Thompson capped the run with a steal and dunk, giving them a 131-118 cushion with 1:11 remaining in the game.

The Pistons won the first half in spite of their injury issues, thanks to controlling the boards and capitalizing in transition. They won the offensive glass, 9-4, and outscored the Cavs 13-8 in second-chance opportunities. They also won the points-off-turnovers margin, 8-0, even though they committed seven turnovers.

After the Cavaliers used an 11-0 run to take a six-point lead early in the second-quarter, Hardaway and Thompson sparked a 14-4 run late in the half that put the Pistons back on top with 30 seconds to play until halftime. The Pistons extended the run to 27-10 in the second half, largely thanks to Hardaway. After scoring 19 points in the first half, he scored 10 of the Pistons’ first 11 points with a pair of 3-pointers, a fastbreak dunk and a layup through Cleveland’s defense.

It opened a strong period for the Pistons, who outscored the Cavaliers, 38-23, in the third while holding them to 35% (7-for-20) overall shooting. They closed the quarter with an exclamation point, taking a 21-point lead with less than a minute remaining after a 21-9 run.

It was sparked by consecutive 3-pointers from Holland and Beasley, who knocked down the last two. After two big energy plays by Isaiah Stewart — a 3-point play after losing Evan Mobley with a behind-the-back dribble, and dunk — Sasser drew a big reaction from the bench and crowd with a 3-pointer that expanded the lead to 101-80 with 34 seconds on the clock.

Hardaway erupts in upset win

The Michigan alumnus came out swinging, knocking down his first four shots, and first three 3-pointers, in the first quarter for 11 quick points. He followed with eight points in the second, kicking off the Pistons’ 14-4 run with a 3-pointer and capping it with a technical free throw.

His best stretch of the night was the beginning of the second half, though, when he scored 10 consecutive points to help push a five-point Pistons lead at halftime to 14 midway through the quarter. It was a textbook heat check run with the crowd and bench in on the fun as he continued to knock down shots.

Through the first three quarters, he had 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting and 6-for-9 shooting from 3.

Thompson leads defensive charge

The 6-foot-7 wing, at times, was the Pistons’ primary rim protector. Thompson recorded two of his four blocks during the Pistons’ 14-4 run late in the first half in his typical athletic fashion, swatting layup attempts by Garland and Allen to help spark the Pistons’ transition offense.

His next two blocks were early in the third quarter, as the Pistons put their stamp on the game with a 27-10 run. Three consecutive Cavaliers possessions ended in Pistons blocks, with Duren logging one rejection between Thompson’s two.

It was a dominant defensive stretch for the Pistons. The third was the Cavaliers’ worst offensively, allowing the home team to push their lead to blowout margins.