Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Live Score, Highlights and Reaction
Kyrie Irving scored 31 points, Kevin Love and LeBron James scored 28 and 22, respectively, and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the feisty Detroit Pistons, 106-101, at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday afternoon to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
This was a hotly contested game all the way through.
The Pistons were red-hot from three-point range in the first half, draining 10 triples en route to a 58-53 halftime lead.
While Detroit cooled off a bit from distance in the second half, it still fought Cleveland tooth-and-nail.
The Pistons actually led the Cavaliers, 83-76, early in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs erased the deficit with a quick 7-0 run.
It was then a back-and-forth affair for the rest of the way, and Cleveland never really had the game well in hand until the final minute-and-a-half.
Neither team led by double figures, with the largest lead being nine by the Cavs.
Irving shot 10-of-24 from the floor, going 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Love made four treys and tallied 13 rebounds to go along with his point total, and James dished out 11 assists.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led Detroit with 21 points. Marcus Morris added 20, although 19 of those came in the first half.
The Cavaliers shot 44.3 percent from the floor, but only committed four turnovers.
The Pistons shot 50.7 percent and made 15 three-pointers in total.
Game 2 is Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena.
