NBA: Cavaliers overcome Jerami Grant, Pistons
Darius Garland #10 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots during the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 06, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Raptors 104-96. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
All-Star guard Darius Garland had a team-high 24 points and a game-high 12 assists, and teammate Cedi Osman came off the bench for 16 points to power the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 113-109 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons.
The Cavs also got 15 points from Lamar Stevens, and 14 points and 10 rebounds from Kevin Love.
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Osman never got off the bench in Cleveland’s previous two games, but showed he belonged in Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation.
Forward Jerami Grant had a game-high 40 points for the Pistons, while Saddiq Bey added 20 points — 31 fewer than he scored in Detroit’s last game against Orlando.
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The Pistons took their largest lead, 78-66, after Cory Joseph’s tip-in with 4:14 left in the third quarter.
Love’s long-range shooting attack fueled a 14-1 run to close the third quarter and give the Cavs an 82-81 lead.
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Grant was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half as Detroit opened up a 60-55 lead. He had 27 points in the first half, which included a 6-of-7 performance from the 3-point line. The Cavs were just 2 of 12 from behind the arc.
Garland paced Cleveland with 15 points and three assists in the first two quarters.
Osman’s 3-pointer capped an 8-0 run by the Cavs, who extended their lead to 36-27. That led to 14 unanswered points by the Pistons to grab a 41-36 advantage.
Stevens had seven points to help the Cavs take a one-point lead after one quarter, 28-27.
Grant was red-hot in the opening quarter with 15 points for the Pistons.
The Cavs are now 3-1 in their critical five-game homestand. They host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
Cleveland is trying to hang onto the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race and not fall into the play-in tournament.
