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Pistons beat LeBron-less Cavs to end 5-match skid
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THE Detroit Pistons made the most of LeBron James’s absence, snapping a five-game skid with a 106-90 victory over the National Basketball Association champions Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
A day after their 109-108 win over the Golden State Warriors in a Christmas Day thriller, the short-handed Cavaliers had no answer for the Pistons.
Tobias Harris came off the bench to lead Detroit with 21 points. The hosts shot a modest 44.6 percent overall, but they connected on 16 of 28 (57.1 percent) from three-point range.
Six Pistons had double figures, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributing 18 points, Marcus Morris 15 and Jon Leuer and Reggie Jackson 13 apiece.
With James watching from the sideline in civilian clothes, the Pistons seized a 50-44 halftime lead. They held the Cavaliers to 38 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers, leading to 29 Detroit points.
Kyrie Irving had 18 points and eight assists while Kevin Love added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers who are 23-4 when James is in uniform and 0-3 without him this season.
“He’s probably the best player in the world,” Pistons forward Leuer said. “When he’s not in there, it’s a different feel, for sure. They still have some talented guys with Kyrie and Kevin, their shooters and how they space the floor. It still makes it difficult, but LeBron kind of facilitates everything.”
The Cavaliers were playing their fourth game without guard JR Smith, who is expected to miss three months because of a broken right thumb.
As their five-game winning streak ended, the Cavaliers fell to 23-7, still the best in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
The second-placed Toronto Raptors improved to 22-8 with a 95-91 victory over the Trail Blazers in Portland.
Elsewhere, it was: Magic 112, Grizzlies 102; Wizards 107, Bucks 102; Nets 120, Hornets 118; Bulls 90, Pacers 85; Rockets 131, Suns 115; Timberwolves 104, Hawks 90; Pelicans 111, Mavericks 104; Nuggets 106, Clippers 102; and Kings 102, 76ers 100.
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