Pistons at Cavaliers
The Detroit Pistons missed a chance to move to .500 on Wednesday but remain a team on the upswing with wins in seven of the last nine contests. The Pistons will try to go home even on the two-game trip and get back in the win column when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
Detroit worked its way into the No. 7 spot in the East and won its first three games after the All-Star break before falling 105-93 at San Antonio on Wednesday, and coach Dwane Casey was not happy with his team's effort against the Spurs. "They outrebounded us," Casey told reporters after the loss. "They beat us in every area there was. If we're serious about doing something in the playoffs, getting into the playoffs, that's the level we’ve got to play at. Tonight should teach us a hard lesson." The Cavaliers aren't aiming at the playoffs but they are showing some improvement with wins in four of the last six contests, including a 125-118 victory at New York on Thursday that gave them a two-game cushion over the last-place Knicks. "We've had a lot of fun playing the game," forward Kevin Love told reporters. "We're enjoying being out there."
TV: 5 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, FS Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (29-31): Detroit averaged 117.8 points over an eight-game stretch before falling at the Spurs while shooting 36 percent from the floor. "We call a play and guys couldn't get open," Casey told reporters. "You've got to work to get open. It's a wrestling match, a butt-kicking contest to get open. If your will is not there and is not strong enough, you're not going to get open against a team playing as hard and as all out as they were tonight." The frontcourt duo of All-Star forward Blake Griffin and center Andre Drummond combined to go 11-of-32 from the floor in the setback.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (15-47): Cleveland's uptick in play coincides directly with the return of Love, who led the team with 26 points on Thursday as it overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to knock off the Knicks. Love is making things easier for rookie point guard Collin Sexton, who scored 22 points on Thursday and made key plays down the stretch. "He really played under control, not only in his attack, but when the shot was there he took it and when he had the driving opportunities, he made the most of it," Cavaliers coach Larry Drew told reporters of Sexton. "He really played a composed game. I thought he did a really good job recognizing certain situations where we had mismatches. He didn't try to do too much. He made the simple play and the right plays."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers SF Cedi Osman totaled 48 points on 17-of-26 shooting over the last two contests.
2. Pistons SG Luke Kennard went 0-of-6 from 3-point range on Wednesday after going 9-of-15 in the previous three contests.
3. Detroit took each of the first two meetings this season by an average of nine points.