Cleveland Cavaliers (39-24) beat Detroit Pistons (45-15) 113-109 at home on Tuesday, March 3 in a game that stayed within 9 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pistons struck first, taking the opening quarter 27-25 and a 2-point lead after one. The Cavaliers moved in front with a 29-21 second quarter, carrying a 6-point lead into halftime.
The Cavaliers won the third 35-32 to create some separation, taking a 9-point lead into the fourth. The Pistons took the fourth 29-24; the Cavaliers held on for a 113-109 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Cavaliers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 10.4% of possessions compared with 14% for the Pistons. In a 4-point game, those extra possessions were crucial.
The Pistons did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 28.6 against 23.3. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 95 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 119.5 points per 100 possessions to 115.2 for the Pistons.
Who made the difference
Jalen Duren was the game's biggest individual force for DET: 24 pts, 14 reb, 1 ast on 7-9 shooting. His Game Score of 22.7 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers with 18 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast on 5-9 shooting, good for a 18 Game Score.
Jalen Duren (24 pts, 14 reb, 1 ast) and Cade Cunningham (10 pts, 6 reb, 14 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 59% for the Cavaliers.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 4-3.
The Cavaliers are now 39-24, and the Pistons are 45-15. The Cavaliers last five before this game: L-W-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.