Drummond has 25 points and 18 rebounds as Pistons beat Cavaliers 104-99
Andre Drummond had 25 points (20 in the paint) and 18 rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-99 to end a 4-game losing streak.
Drummond’s free throw put the Pistons ahead for good with 2:07 left in the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers got within 100-99 on LeBron James’ driving layup with 15 seconds to play, but Reggie Jackson answered with 2 free throws, and the Cavaliers got no closer.
Jackson’s 2 free throws with 9.9 seconds left made it 104-99 and put it away.
During clutch time, the Pistons outscored the Cavaliers 16-8. Jackson (No. 1 in clutch points, 2015-16) scored 8 of the Pistons’ 16 on 1 for 5 shooting and 6 for 6 at the line. Late in the fourth quarter, Drummond had 2 of his 3 steals, one of them leading to Jackson’s 14-foot jumper that tied the game at 97, and the Pistons scored 2 points off them.
Jackson had 23 points and 12 assists, and Ersan Ilyasova added 20 points (12 on 4 3-pointers) on 6 for 10 shooting. The Pistons had 3 20-point scorers. Jackson assisted on 5 of Ilyasova’s 6 baskets, 3 of them 3-pointers.
For the Cavaliers, James scored 30 points.
The Cavaliers got 3 offensive rebounds, about 7 fewer than usual for the shots they missed. The Pistons’ starters outscored the Cavaliers 75-64 in 28 minutes together.