Pistons overcome James, Cavaliers in 106-101 win

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Andre Drummond had 20 points and 16 rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons scored the first 13 points of the fourth quarter before holding on for a 106-101 victory over the injury-plagued Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night (Friday Manila time).

LeBron James had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists — and threw down over a half-dozen tremendous dunks — but the Cavaliers have now lost three straight and five of their last seven. J.R. Smith played for Cleveland after a thumb injury had kept him out since December, but Kevin Love and Kyle Korver were out, and the Cavaliers lost Andrew Bogut earlier in the week with a broken leg.

Cleveland led 80-73 after finishing the third quarter with a 22-5 run, but the Pistons started strong in the fourth, and a tip-in by Reggie Jackson gave Detroit an 82-80 advantage.

Jackson also beat the shot clock with a floater with 55 seconds left, lifting the Pistons to a 103-98 lead.

James and Kyrie Irving had 19 points each in the first half, but Detroit led 55-52 after two quarters. James had five dunks in the half, including a two-hander in the first quarter in which he swung a bit on the rim and received a technical foul. That play gave Cleveland a 27-12 advantage, but the Cavs' lead would never surpass 15.

Detroit was up 68-58 in the third before Cleveland closed the quarter with a huge run. Channing Frye made four 3-pointers for the Cavs in that stretch, all from around the same spot on the right wing.

Irving finished with 27 points.

Tip-ins

Cavaliers: Smith, who had been out since Dec. 20, came on as a substitute in the first quarter. He finished with three points on 1-of-9 shooting. ... Love hasn't come back yet from knee surgery, and Korver has an injured left foot. Coach Tyronn Lue was back on the sideline after missing Monday's game against Miami with an illness.

Pistons: Jackson led the Pistons with 21 points.

Memories

Unless the teams meet in the postseason, this was the last game for James at The Palace. The Pistons are moving downtown next season. James had one of his first transcendent postseason moments in this building back in 2007, when he scored 48 points — including Cleveland's final 25 — in a win over Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals.