Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Cleveland Cavaliers used a dominant second-half performance on the road to beat the Detroit Pistons, 102-93, in a game in which LeBron James made history on Tuesday.
James dished 11 assists, the sixth taking him past Scottie Pippen in the record books for most dimes by a forward.
Cleveland outscored Detroit 49-31 in the second half, as LeBron continued to dictate the game with his playmaking and passing ability.
His performance, along with those of Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and Timofey Mozgov, helped the Cavs erase a 14-point third-quarter deficit.
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Grades |
| LeBron James | B+ |
| Kyrie Irving | B+ |
| Kevin Love | B+ |
| J.R. Smith | D |
| Timofey Mozgov | B+ |
| Rest of Team | C- |
| Detroit Pistons | Grades |
| Andre Drummond | B+ |
| Greg Monroe | B- |
| Reggie Jackson | B+ |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | A- |
| Tayshaun Prince | C |
| Rest of Team | F |
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James: B+
It wasn't a great night for James in terms of shooting (6-of-14) or ball control (nine turnovers), but as is the case with all the game's best, he created other ways to make an impact.
Most notably, his willingness to distribute led to a game-high 11 assists and several wide-open looks for the Cavs' outside shooters.
He also pitched in defensively, grabbing seven rebounds and doing most of the work that led to Tayshaun Prince shooting 2-of-7 from the field.
And despite shooting less than 50 percent from the field, James still scored 19 points and hit a huge three in the fourth quarter that essentially wrapped things up.
Thanks in large part to the length and athleticism of Reggie Jackson, Kyrie Irving wasn't able to move around as easily as usual. All his drives were impeded by Jackson's on-ball defense, and his pull-up jumpers were almost always crowded.
Those problems were mostly confined to the first half, though. He went 1-of-7 in the opening two quarters and gave up 15 points on the other end to Jackson.
His ability to flip the script in the second half was a critical component to Cleveland's dominance after the break, as he finished with 18 points and five assists.
Kevin Love: B+
As long as he's as hot as he was Tuesday, Love doing little more than stretching the floor offensively is just fine. He finished the game 8-of-14 from three-point range.
His torrid shooting was particularly important in the third quarter, as he hit back-to-back triples in the middle of a 17-3 run that helped the Cavs overcome a double-digit deficit.
He finished the game with 24 points and nine rebounds.
J.R. Smith: D
On a team with so much firepower, it's almost a given that one of the options beyond James or Irving is going to have a quiet night.
J.R. Smith was that guy, as he shot just 1-of-4 from the field on the way to four points.
He struggled defensively as well, surrendering a few open looks to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who's riding a hot streak that dates back two games.
Timofey Mozgov: B+
The addition of Timofey Mozgov to this team has been analyzed ad nauseam, but his play warrants even more praise, as he managed to go blow-for-blow with Andre Drummond.
Mozgov may have lost the scoring and rebounding battle—he went for 14 points and six boards—but his four blocks were a game high and made Detroit's guards a bit more reluctant to take it inside.
Rest of Team: C-
Cleveland's bench wasn't able to provide a ton of relief for the starters, as its players scored 23 points but shot just 8-of-21 from the field.
Iman Shumpert was largely responsible for the shooting woes, as he managed to finish 2-of-10 from the field.
One noteworthy appearance from the bench was that of Kendrick Perkins, whom Cleveland signed as a little insurance off the bench behind Mozgov and Tristan Thompson.
Detroit Pistons
Andre Drummond: B+
With the exception of his 1-of-6 performance at the free-throw line and some struggles with Mozgov here and there, Andre Drummond had a really nice game.
He finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds and threw down some good-looking alley-oops from his new point guard, Reggie Jackson.
Greg Monroe: B-
Mozgov and Love did a decent job of tag-teaming the responsibility to defend Greg Monroe, as the Pistons big man went just 4-of-13 from the field on the way to 12 points.
He got a few decent looks from the post but also forced a lot when a kick out to the perimeter may have been the better option.
On a positive note, he was his typically solid self on the boards, finishing with a game-high 14.
Reggie Jackson: B+
Jackson flat-out dominated Kyrie Irving in the first half, helping the Pistons get to the break with a nine-point lead.
Given the success he had early, it's hard to fault Jackson for continuing to go pedal to the metal in the third quarter, but it led to some questionable decisions and shot selection that helped the Cavs take over the game.
His line recovered quite well after the game was all but decided and Cleveland took its foot off the gas. He finished with 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: A-
Three-and-D players are becoming an almost vital part of the NBA landscape, and Caldwell-Pope is starting to look like he could be a pretty good one.
His 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting (including 5-of-7 from downtown) was electrifying, but his defense on the other end may have been just as important.
He all but erased Smith from the game and dominated Shumpert when matched up with him.
Tayshaun Prince: C
Prince struggled mightily on the offensive side of things, but this addition could really help Detroit make a run at the No. 8 seed in the East.
His defense on LeBron was a big part of why he shot a low percentage and committed so many turnovers. The ability to slow down opposing wings and provide leadership on the floor will be invaluable.
Plus, the nostalgia of the 2004 Pistons that he brings will endear this team to the fans.
Rest of Team: F
If Cleveland's bench struggled, Detroit's was almost a mess. Five reserves combined to shoot 5-of-20 from the field on the way to 14 points.
Anthony Tolliver was the high-point man of the second unit, scoring six points on 2-of-5 shooting.
Coming Up Next
The Cavaliers will return home for their next game, Thursday at 8 p.m. ET against the Golden State Warriors. They'll have to play that entire game the way they were in the second half Tuesday to beat the league's best team.
The Pistons, meanwhile, will have a chance to bounce back in a home game against the New York Knicks on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The front line of Drummond and Monroe should be able to dominate Jason Smith and Lou Amundson.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
