Dribbles: Cavs rock, roll and wallop Pistons behind Donovan Mitchell’s 35

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 116-95 road throttling of the Pistons on Monday …

1. This was a close one — for about 37 seconds.

2. After that, the Cavaliers had their way. Running, finishing, defending. You name it. On this night, there was very little the Cavs did not do.

3. Donovan Mitchell again led the way with a magnificent all-around evening, erupting for 35 points on a sizzling 13-of-18 from the field. It was almost as if he had the gym to himself, getting in some extra work on layups and floaters.

4. Mitchell has scored 30 or more in three of the first four games. I’d say that’s a pretty decent run.

5. Jarrett Allen started things on his way to 20 points and seven rebounds. It was another aggressive night from Allen (at least in the first half), setting the tone for the evening to come.

6. Most of the fun actually began in the second quarter — when the Cavs came together with a 14-0 run. A lot of it was the result of some stifling defense. When it came to that, everyone played a role.

7. Things have not gone well for Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff against his former team. Overall, Detroit has lost 13 of 14 against Cleveland.

8. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what’s known as dominating a divisional opponent.

9. Evan Mobley was fantastic defensively, and not too shabby on offense — finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and even five assists. Like so many others, he put together a thoroughly complete game.

10. On the downside, Sam Merrill exited with a hip contusion. But he was dynamite before that again, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting (3-of-5 on 3-pointers).

11. I have no concrete evidence, but this may be the best four-game stretch of Merrill’s career. Or three-and-half game stretch, as the case may be. Let’s hope he’s not out for any amount of time.

12. So overall, yes, this was the Cavs’ best game of the early season.

13. De’Andre Hunter added 11 points and a team-high six assists, as well as his usual dose of sturdy defense and winning plays. 

14. The Cavs (3-1) forced Detroit into 25 turnovers, making every Pistons possession turn into a major chore.

15. All-Star guard Cade Cunningham was also held in check for the Pistons (2-2), scoring 12 points on just 3-of-14 shooting. Then again, those 12 points were more than anyone else on his team could manage.

16. After two games in two nights, the Cavs finally get a day off. As in, one. They visit the depleted Celtics on Wednesday. Boston (1-3) finally picked up a win, crushing New Orleans on Monday night.