Behind a record-tying performance from behind the arc, the Cavs downed the Pistons, 107-90 and jumped out to a 2-0 series lead. Cleveland connected on 20 of their 38 attempts from three — tying the NBA record — and finished the night 40/80 overall.
Entering halftime, the Cavs held a 55-53 lead thanks to 44 combined points from J.R. Smtih, Kyrie Irving, and LeBron James. James had 14 points in the second quarter, including a thunderous jam on Reggie Bullock. Coach Tyronn Lue elected to execute the “hack-a-Drummond” which allowed Cleveland to climb back into the game. Drummond was still the Pistons’ leading scorer at the half, with 15, despite shooting just 3/12 from the foul line. Reggie Jackson was another significant contributor and pitched in 12 points of his own on 6/10 shooting.
Cleveland’s defense locked down in the third and held the Pistons to 15 points on 35% shooting. The starters for Detroit shot a combined 4/15 but scored 13 of their 15 points. The Cavs were still lights out from three and finished the quarter 6/12 from behind the arc with 27 points in the period; on two-point attempts, they shot just 3/9. LeBron was even 2/3 on long-distance shots, and he’s the Cavaliers’ worst shooter. They entered the fourth with an 82-68 lead.
The Cavs wrapped up the game and outscored Detroit 25-22 in the final period. Matthew Dellavedova, Jordan McRae, and Kevin Love combined for 15 of the team’s points. The Pistons’ shooting struggles continued, and they hit on just 36% of their shots in the fourth. Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris led the team with four points each.
LeBron led all scorers with 27 on 12/18 shooting and added six rebounds and three assists; Irving and Smith had 22 and 21, respectively, and combined to shoot 11/18 from three. Andre Drummond led Detroit with 20 points on 8/13 shooting but shot a miserable 25% (4/16) from the foul line. Reggie Jackson was second with 14, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tobias Harris each had 13.
Game three is scheduled for Friday, April 22 at 7:00 PM EST in Detroit.
