Pistons-Cavaliers Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Dec 08 2012 12:20AM

Kyrie Irving won't be able to help. Rookie guard Dion Waiters wishes he could, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen.

Likely missing their top two scorers for a fourth consecutive game, the host Cavaliers will look to snap a four-game losing streak Saturday night when they face the Detroit Pistons for the second time in six days.

Out the last 10 games with a broken left index finger, Irving, who is scoring 22.9 points per game, isn't expected back for a couple of weeks.

Waiters, second on the Cavs (4-16) with 15.2 ppg, has missed the last three contests - starting with Monday's 89-79 loss at Detroit - with a sprained left ankle, and he's not likely to return until at least Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

"He wants to try to play tomorrow, I just don't see it after watching him walk," coach Byron Scott said after Friday's shootaround. "The other thing is, I've always believed when a player comes back, he has to have a full day or practice too. His first chance of doing that would be Monday."

That's bad news for a Cavs team that's averaging 79.0 points and shooting 34.8 percent since Waiters went down.

With the No. 4 overall pick back in Cleveland to receive treatment, the Cavs lost for the 14th time in 16 games on Friday, 91-73 to Minnesota.

There was no excuse for their season low-tying 30 field goals, but Scott found one for the season-low nine free throw attempts.

"(The officiating) was that bad. It really was. It was that bad," he said. "I mean I understand we're playing in Minnesota, but 35-9, we went to the basket just as much as they did. I think we had 38 attempts in the paint to their 34, we get nine free throws, I think that speaks for itself."

So does the Pistons grabbing just five more rebounds than Chicago's Joakim Noah (23) in Friday's 108-104 loss.

"Energy. It's disappointing," coach Lawrence Frank told the Pistons' official website after his team gave up a 17-point second-quarter lead.

Even though Detroit (6-15) had 13 blocks on Monday when it held the lowly Cavs to a season-low 33.7 percent from the field, heading to Cleveland is no guarantee that the Pistons can get back into the win column.

They're 1-10 outside Auburn Hills this season.

The Cavs, meanwhile, are going for their first home win in four tries.

Cleveland center Anderson Varejao will try to start a new double-streak after his run ended at 10 on Friday when he scored four points with 14 rebounds. Varejao had also grabbed at least 15 boards in each of the previous 10 games, including 18 in Monday's loss.

Pistons center Greg Monroe had five rebounds Friday to extend his streak with that many boards to 112. Monroe had 14 rebounds and rookie Andre Drummond pulled down 12 on Monday to help Detroit win its third straight in this Central Division matchup.

Knight scores 30; Pistons beat Cavs 104-97

Posted Dec 08 2012 11:30PM

CLEVELAND (AP) Brandon Knight made sure the Detroit Pistons got a needed road win.

Knight scored a career-high 30 points and the Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time in six days with a 104-97 win on Saturday night.

The Pistons, who won for just the second time in 12 road games this season, took control with a run that began late in the third quarter and carried into the fourth period.

Besides winning on the road, Pistons coach Lawrence Frank was pleased to see his team rebound from Friday night's home loss to Chicago in which Detroit squandered a 17-point lead in the first half.

"It's great to bounce back from last night," he said. "We were able to hold on and get a good win on the road."

Tayshaun Prince scored 14 points while Jason Maxiell added 11 for the Pistons, who defeated the Cavaliers 89-79 on Monday in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Jeremy Pargo scored 24 points for Cleveland, which has lost five straight, nine of 10 and 15 of 17.

Knight scored 23 points in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer late in the third period gave Detroit the lead for good, 71-68.

"It was just me taking more advantage of the shots I did have," Knight said. "They did a great job contesting my shots in the first half - not that they didn't in the second - but I was more aggressive doing my job."

Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao, who scored 16 points and had 13 rebounds, went to the locker room late in the second quarter with a bruised left elbow. X-rays were negative and he returned to begin the third quarter with the elbow wrapped.

Cleveland again played without leading scorers Kyrie Irving (broken left index finger) and Dion Waiters (sprained left ankle).

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said there's a chance one or both could return for Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, but neither player has been cleared by doctors. The latest loss had Scott repeating a point he's made several times recently.

"We almost have to play near perfect," he said. "We're going to make mistakes on both ends of the floor, but our guys are competing. That's all I can ask for."

"I don't want guys to start waiting for Kyrie and Dion to come back," guard Daniel Gibson said. "Yeah, we're down a closer or two, but we've had opportunities to win these games."

Trailing 62-54 late in the third quarter, Detroit grabbed the momentum and the Pistons took a 76-70 lead into the fourth quarter.

Charlie Villanueva hit a pair of 3-pointers to help the Pistons take a 14-point lead early in the fourth. The Cavaliers cut the lead to 99-95 on Varejao's free throw with 40.1 seconds left, but Rodney Stuckey's basket with 18.3 seconds left gave the Pistons a six-point lead.

"We knew the Cavs would come out fighting because they're trying to tough it out without two of their main guys," Prince said. "It was good to get a road win, but it's also good that we played tonight because we had a couple of heartbreakers that we needed to get over."

Cleveland used a 24-7 run in the second quarter to take a 46-36 lead, but Detroit rallied and trailed 52-49 at halftime. The Pistons went ahead 54-52, but the Cavaliers scored 10 straight points for a 62-54 lead.

Stuckey and Maxiell each scored 10 points for Detroit, which committed only nine turnovers.

C.J. Miles scored 15 points while Tyler Zeller added 13 for Cleveland. Varejao's streak of consecutive double-doubles ended at 10 Friday against Minnesota when he had four points and 14 rebounds.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert defended his team on his Twitter account Saturday, writing "18 months into rebuild. Short trm get our 2 scorers back playing."

NOTES: The Pistons play at Philadelphia on Monday, the site of their only road win prior to Saturday . ... Frank was one of Scott's assistants with the New Jersey Nets. "I worked for him for three years, so I know that his teams are always prepared," Frank said. "They also tend to take on some of Byron's personality, being tough-minded groups that never make excuses." ... Cleveland scored 22 points in the first quarter after 14.7 in the first period in its previous three games. ... The Cavaliers begin a stretch of four games in five nights Tuesday.

Notebook: Pistons 104, Cavaliers 97

Brian Dulik, For NBA.com
Posted Sun Dec 09, 2012 12:50 AM - Updated Sun Dec 09, 2012 12:50 AM

THE FACTS: Point guard Brandon Knight scored 23 of his career-high 30 points in the second half as the Detroit Pistons rallied for a 104-97 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. Knight added seven rebounds and five assists, while Detroit small forward Tayshaun Prince chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds. Point guard Jeremy Pargo scored 24 points to lead Cleveland, which also received 16 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and five assists from center Anderson Varejao. The Pistons (7-15) outscored the Cavaliers 55-45 in the second half to beat them for the second time in six days.

QUOTABLE: "It's always fun to play the Cavs and go against all the players you know. They did a great job contesting my shots in the first half -- not that they didn't in the second -- but I was more aggressive taking advantage of my opportunities."

-- Pistons point guard Brandon Knight

THE STAT: Knight's top two scoring performances in the NBA have come against the Cavaliers (4-17). His high-water mark as a rookie was 28 points against Cleveland on April 17, 2012 -- and he is averaging 25.0 points in his last three games against them. "I think it's more our style of play that matches up well with theirs, not anything different that I'm doing against them," said Knight, who went 10-for-20 on field goals, including 5-for-6 on 3-pointers, and 5-for-6 on free throws in 38 minutes.

TURNING POINT: After the Cavaliers scored 10 straight points to take a 62-54 lead with 8:19 left in the third quarter, Detroit answered with a 22-8 run to take control. Knight's long 3-pointer put the Pistons up for good at 71-68 with 1:36 remaining in the third, while Charlie Villanueva's trey midway through the fourth gave Detroit its largest advantage at 94-80. "The game really changed with six minutes left in the third," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "From that point on, we bent, but we didn't break."

QUOTABLE II: "[Knight] got pretty aggressive in the second half. It seemed that every time he got a pick-and-roll, he split it. He started pushing the ball and putting pressure on our defense. He got his team together to get the win."

-- Cavaliers shooting guard Daniel Gibson

HOT: NBA rebounding leader Varejao posted his 11th double-double in his last 12 games, giving him a career-high 15 double-doubles just 20 contests into the 2012-2013 NBA season. The mop-topped Brazilian is averaging 14.5 points and 15.2 boards on the campaign. ... Cavaliers shooting guard C.J. Miles scored a season-high 15 points in 15 minutes off the bench. ... Cleveland center Tyler Zeller had 13 points and eight boards in a reserve role. ... Pistons point guard Rodney Stuckey had a team-best six assists while backing up Knight.

NOT: Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson committed two fouls in the first 86 seconds and was sent to the bench. The second-year pro finished the night with just one defensive rebound in 24 minutes. ... Cleveland is 2-8 with point guard Kyrie Irving in its lineup and 2-9 with him in street clothes. ... The Pistons are 2-10 on the road, but snapped their four-game skid away from The Palace of Auburn Hills with the seven-point triumph. ... Detroit center Greg Monroe missed six of his eight field goal attempts, all from close range.

QUOTABLE III: "It was good to get a road win, but it's also good that we were able to play tonight because we had a couple of heartbreakers that we needed to get over."

-- Pistons small forward Tayshaun Prince

GOOD MOVE: One night after the Pistons blew a 17-point lead in a 108-104 home loss to Chicago, Frank didn't take any chances with his bench. Detroit only used four substitutes -- Stuckey, center Andre Drummond, shooting guard Corey Maggette, and power forward Villanueva -- and each contributed down the stretch. "Andre and Rodney really injected some energy that we needed," Frank said. "Charlie also hit a couple of big threes in the fourth that helped us get the win."

BAD MOVE: Varejao only sat out the final 130 seconds of the second quarter after bruising his left elbow. He underwent X-rays at halftime, which were negative, and insisted on starting the second half -- instead of taking some much-needed time off. The Cavaliers begin a grueling four-games-in-five-nights stretch Tuesday against the Lakers. "It's not enough to box Varejao out, you've got to ride him out of bounds," Drummond said. "He's a very, very tough guy to go up against."

NOTABLE: Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said "there is a chance" that Irving (left index finger fracture) and shooting guard Dion Waiters (left ankle sprain) could play against the Lakers. "Both have not been cleared by the doctors yet, but it would be a nice surprise to have one or both of them back," the coach said. "I'm not ruling them out at this point." ... Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Irving last played on Nov. 18 against Philadelphia, while Waiters was injured on Dec. 1 against Portland. Cleveland is 0-4 without its starting backcourt in uniform. "I don't want guys to start waiting for Kyrie and Dion to come back," Gibson said. "Yeah, we're down a closer or two, but we've had opportunities to win all of these games."

UP NEXT: For the Pistons, Monday @ Philadelphia, Tuesday vs. Denver, Friday @ Brooklyn. For the Cavaliers, Tuesday vs. L.A. Lakers, Wednesday @ Indiana, Friday vs. Milwaukee.

• Pistons: Kravtsov, Middleton
• Cavaliers: Irving, Leuer, Waiters

• Pistons: --
• Cavaliers: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #26 Pat Fraher, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 16062
• Duration: 2:17