Hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers on the second night of back-to-back games, the Pistons were playing catch-up from the start and the numbers supporting Detroit’s 116-95 loss to the Cavs make the game look closer than it was. Detroit star point guard Cade Cunningham was searching for his shot all night and could night find it, and the Cavs’ overwhelming defense limited the 6-6 All-Star to just 12 points, which led Detroit on the night. That by itself should help explain why the Pistons were playing on the backfoot all game long.

Once again, Detroit entered the game shorthanded with Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser unable to play, so Cunningham was tasked with getting the offense going, and that’s something that never really happened on Monday night. The Cavs are noted as one of the stingiest teams in the Eastern Conference, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley more than lived up to that billing against Detroit. As a result, the Cavs made it difficult for the Pistons to enter the paint, and the home squad’s usually-dependable transition game was nullified until the very end of the fourth quarter.

Back-and-forth contest to start

In the first quarter, the Pistons had perhaps their best offensive stretch of the game. Duncan Robinson connected on a pair of three-pointers, and Ausar Thompson initiated some offense and hit the offensive glass early on to create extra possessions. Pistons center Jalen Duren was also active on the offensive board, but Detroit failed to score in the final three minutes of the quarter as Cleveland’s defense started to ramp up. On the other side, Donovan Mitchell began to find his rhythm for the Cavs and scored nine of Cleveland’s final 11 points to close out the first quarter.

In the second, the Pistons kept the defensive intensity high, and Isaiah Stewart shined in his rim-protecting role and kept altering Cleveland shots. Furthering that cause, Cunningham had a crowd-rising chase-down block to help thwart the Cavs, but all the defensive gusto in the world could not hide Detroit’s offensive struggles. The Pistons went 0-12 from the field to start the second quarter, and the Cavs really pulled away during that timespan.

To wrap up the first half, the Pistons shot just 30% from the field and committed three-times the turnovers Cleveland did, and the home squad ultimately trailed 63-41 at the half. By the break, Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 10 points, and Duren chipped in with eight points and six rebounds to his credit. 

Nothing working for Detroit in the second half

After halftime, Thompson did not rejoin his teammates, and that is perhaps the most concerning matter of the game. Instead, Cunningham continued looking for his shot, but a 3-for-14 shooting night proved that the Cavs’ pressure was effective. By the midway point of the third, all five of Cleveland’s starters had reached double figures scoring, and the Pistons trailed 90-66 with 12 minutes left to play.

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At the end of the game, the Pistons rotated the lineup a little more loosely as a combination of Paul Reed, Bobi Klintman, Tolu Smith, Colby Jones and Chaz Lanier filtered onto the floor. In his short cameo, Smith finished with 11 points and four rebounds, so he was productive in his limited opportunity. 

After Cunningham’s team-leading 12 points, Smith and Ron Holland scored 11 and Harris contributed 10 on his own. Monday night marked the third consecutive game in which the Pistons had allowed a 35-point scorer as Mitchell went off for exactly that amount.

Next, the Pistons will host the Orlando Magic at home on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 7 pm.

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