CLEVELAND, OH--- The Cavs and Pistons went down to the wire Wednesday night, resulting in the Cavs winning their 11th game out of their last 12 and extending their wining streak to 3 after they defeated the visiting Detroit Pistons 128-121. We would see the long awaited return of Darius Garland, who along with Evan Mobley was limited on minutes. Garland would finish with 19pts in 20 minutes. The improving Pistons gave the Cavs a fight, as they were coming off a big 120-104 upset win over the Thunder Sunday.
Right from the get go, the game as tightly contested, the Pistons showed early that they are no longer a team to be taken lightly, but with the help of some quick release Sam Merrill 3pters, the Cavs would take a lead into the 2nd quarter, with the rest of his team following suit and heating up. As the Cavs were heating up, the Pistons kept coming back and keeping it close, with the Cavs largest lead being only 9 points. In the start of the 2nd half, the Cavs played quick, especially about halfway through the quarter with a great sequence that featured a Donovan Mitchell 3 pointer to make it 88-83, an Okoro steal and slam that made it 90-83, then followed quickly by a Georges Niang lob to Evan Mobley to extend the lead to 92-85. The Pistons would keep creeping in, eventually tying the game at 98 in the 4th quarter. Detroit took charge early on in the 4th, outscoring the Cavs 14-4 to start the last quarter of play, but lead it to Donovan Mitchell to become a human torch in the 4th quarter, from 3 pointers to lay ups and steals, Mitchell would tie his season high of 45 points to lead the Cavs to a victory, the 15th time he's scored 30 or more this year. Along with Mitchell, Jarrett Allen would fight through an illness and secure his 16th straight double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Okoro was also a key contributor in the 4th, he would finish the game with 14 points, making his biggest impact on the defensive side with 4 steals.
The Cavs will head down to Memphis to face the Grizzlies, tip off is set for 8:00 pm.