NBA: Pistons use big fourth quarter to overcome Cavaliers
Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons watches a replay of a dunk that resulted in his second technical foul of the game, resulting in an ejection from the game, in the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Little Caesars Arena on January 16, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. Mike Mulholland/Getty Images/AFP
Saddiq Bey scored 31 points, Cade Cunningham recorded his second career triple-double and the host Detroit Pistons rallied past the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-105 on Sunday.
Cunningham had 19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals for Detroit, which outscored Cleveland 31-17 in the fourth quarter. Frank Jackson had 19 points, Trey Lyles supplied 15 and Isaiah Stewart added 14 while grabbing 12 rebounds.
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Darius Garland led Cleveland with 24 points and seven assists, while Evan Mobley had 18 points and nine rebounds. Jarrett Allen contributed 15 points and nine rebounds and Dean Wade added 14 points. The Cavs had won eight of their previous nine.
The Cavaliers scored the first 15 points of the game as Detroit missed its first eight field goal attempts during the opening four-plus minutes. Wade had five points during that span.
Article continues after this advertisementA Bey bucket and foul ended Detroit’s drought. The Pistons cut the deficit to five, 29-24, by the end of the quarter.
Cleveland held the lead throughout the rest of the half but couldn’t pull away. Garland drained a trio of 3-pointers in the final 2:17 as the Cavs led 55-49 at the break. Garland finished the half with 14 points while Jackson led the Pistons with 17.
Another Garland long ball two minutes into the second half gave Cleveland a 10-point lead. When Garland knocked down another with 5:33 left in the quarter, Cleveland’s lead increased to 80-68.
Detroit responded with a 9-0 run, including seven points from Bey. He also made a layup in the closing seconds of the quarter but the Cavs had an 88-84 lead entering the fourth.
Okoro knocked down a 3-pointer with nine minutes left for a 98-89 Cavs lead. The Cavs then went scoreless for more than four minutes while the Pistons reeled off 13 points to take the lead for the first time. Cunningham had five of those points, including a 3-pointer to cap the outburst.
Stewart scored on back-to-back possessions to give Detroit a 106-100 lead with 2:24 left. Cunningham hit a 3-pointer on the Pistons’ next possession for a nine-point advantage.
