Cleveland Cavaliers outshine the Detroit Pistons 110-101; shrug off the banner of the league’s worst team
Fuelled by the quest of not ending the season as the league’s worst team, the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from two straight defeats and outshined the resurgent
Detroit Pistons at Palace of Auburn Hills on Monday night. J.J. Hickson racked up a team-high 20 points and gathered 11 rebounds for the Cavs, who romped to an electrifying 110-101 victory.
Just hours after their victory, the Minnesota Timberwolves crashed out against the Phoenix Suns, thus removing the stigma of the league’s worst team from the Cavaliers.
After a topsy-turvy first half of play, which ultimately culminated with single point separating the two teams, the visiting Cavaliers took charge of the game deep
in the third quarter. Daniel Gibson landed seven points in a 12-1 run late in the third period to seal a comprehensive 86-73 advantage from where the Pistons failed to strike back.
The difference between the two teams on the night was the Cavaliers bench. Four players from the visitors’ bench notched up double figures. Daniel Gibson struck four
times from downtown to finish with 17 points. The most significant effort form the reserves came in the shape of Ramon Session, who scored 17 points and 9 assists. Ryan Hollins was perfect from the field. He shot 5-for-5 to chip in with 12 while Christian
Eyenga fetched 13.
The night also depicted some exchange of heated words when Ryan Hollins grabbed Charlie Villanueva, who was trying to set a pick. Villanueva responded by shoving
him in the face. Both the players were ejected as a result.
Detroit’s forward Villanueva
said after the game."You've got to be careful of the quiet ones, right? At the end of the day, it's something that happened on the court and it should have stayed on the court. I overreacted. He said some things that got me upset."
Detroit’s’ star guard Rodney Stuckey was quite impressive on the night. He clinched a game-high 29 points and handed out 14 assists for the Pistons. However, his
formidable play was overshadowed by the ruthless teamwork of the Cavaliers.
The Pistons started aggressively in the preliminary six minutes of the game and romped with 16-9 run to grab an early advantage. Gibson strived to bring in the energy
for the Cavaliers and landed a blistering blow from downtown to start something, but the home team carried the action and amplified the lead to 11 points on a Richard Hamilton’s 3-pointer. Hollins came up with successive blows late in the first period however
Stuckey’s running jump shot in the dying seconds provided the Pistons a massive first quarter 33-23 lead.
The Cavaliers took the charge early in the second quarter. Not only did they rattle a 12-0 run in the first three minutes to rock the home team, but also grasped
a two point lead on a Luke Harangody layup shot, that capped the run. Stuckey and Gordon responded for the Pistons swiftly and propelled the Pistons to 53-50 advantage with a 2:05 to go till the break. The Cavaliers grabbed the lead once again though, courtesy
a 6-2 run in the ensuing minutes. Greg Monroe’s tip shot just before the halftime placed the home team on the frontline with one point advantage as the game progressed into the second half.
The third quarter again proved to be a dog fight. Both the teams refused to budge until the last three minutes, when the Cavaliers took over the Pistons with a 12-1
run. Stuckey landed two free throws in the last seconds as the Cavs entered the final 12 minutes with 86-75 lead.
Christian Eyenga and Ramon Sessions carried the action for the visiting team in the fourth frame and sustained the lead 96-85 despite of two blistering 3-pointers
from Villanueva at the other end. Stuckey strived to retaliate in the last five minutes of the game and scored eight points. However, Sessions came up with four consecutive free throws in the defining moments of the game to clinch a magnificent 110-101 victory.
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