Dribbles: Cavs show some grit, grind past East-leading Pistons

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ scrappy 113-109 home win over the Detroit Pistons.

1. Coming in, you kind of figured the Cavs would have to scratch, claw and sacrifice themselves physically to get the win. That’s precisely what they did.

2. Wasn’t pretty — but it did look a lot like what you might see in a playoff series. The Pistons currently lead the East. The Cavs truly believe they’re the better team.

3. In the past two games, I’d say they’re pretty close to dead even. Throw in the fact that the Cavs haven’t had Donovan Mitchell in either and … yeah, probably advantage Cleveland.

4. As for this particular game, the Cavs (39-24) did a lot of the little things. That included throwing body after body at Pistons star Cade Cunningham, the idea being to make his life difficult. It worked, as Cunningham finished a miserable 4-of-16 from the field.

5. Offensively, the Cavs weren’t exactly the picture of precision. But they received enough contributions from everyone, and it started with Jaylon Tyson (22 points, 8-of-15 shooting). He could’ve used a night like this, too. 

6. Not that Tyson had been bad. Far from it. He’s just been in and out of the starting lineup, seemingly struggling to get into a real groove as his role changes from game to game. That was not the case Tuesday. He had it going on.

7. Craig Porter Jr. also had a highly underrated night — finishing with seven points and a team-high eight rebounds. Five of those came at the offensive end.

8. Coach Kenny Atkinson on CPJ: “We were struggling, missing shots, and he just flies in there and gets offensive rebounds. It’s really a boost to your morale.”

9. And deflating to the other guys.

10. Meanwhile, James Harden had a rough night shooting (18 points, 5-of-17 from the field), but man oh man, does that cat steady things. He also delivered a key layup in the clutch. That has just been his role with this team. He’s the legend who doesn’t need to be treated like a legend. He just wins, baby.

11. That said, that broken thumb may be bugging him a little. Or a lot. He’ll never say so. Either way, they’re better with him out there, so let’s hope it magically heals on its own.

12. Evan Mobley had another solid night with 18 points, and it only took him nine shots. Frankly, the Cavs would probably like to see him take more. And on many nights, he will. So hardly a concern.

13. Dennis Schroder (15 points), Keon Ellis (relentless defense), Thomas Bryant and Sam Merrill (nine points apiece) all made key contributions. No surprise, there. As Atkinson alluded to after, Bryant has been quite the find. He’s a big man who will battle in reserve. And he makes threes.

14. The Cavs really needed Bryant on this night, as Jarrett Allen exited with about 8:40 left in the third quarter. Apparently, he banged knees on a rebound attempt. “He got a knee-to-knee,” Atkinson said. “That’s the only update I got. We’ll see tomorrow.”

15. On the bright side, the Cavs now have four days off before their next game (Sunday, Boston, 1 p.m., Rocket Arena).

16. I’m not a doctor and only occasionally pretend to play one. But my medical expertise tells me that not having a game for four days is probably better than having one when the goal is to heal.

17. Atkinson on the night overall: “It’s a good win. I wish we’d done a better job of taking care of the ball in the fourth quarter (seven turnovers in 12 minutes). … Not perfect by any means, but we’ll take it.”

18. On the bright side, the Cavs only finished with 10 turnovers for the entire game. The Pistons (45-15) committed 13. 

19. So there you have it. Two games vs. the Pistons in less than a week. The first, an overtime loss in Detroit’s building. The second, a win in your own. Both without Mitchell. I’d say the Cavs are in good shape. Just gotta get and stay healthy. They’ve already been proving that they know how to just find a way.

BOX SCORE | Cavs 113, Pistons 109

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