Cavaliers 107, Pistons 90
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James scored 27 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers tied an NBA playoff record with 20 3-pointers in a 107-90 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night in Game 2 of an NBA Western Conference playoff series.
The Cavaliers lead the series 2-0 with Game 3 on Friday night at Detroit.
The Cavs struggled to put away the Pistons in Game 1 and struggled again until late in the third quarter. They trailed by 10 points early and still were behind midway through the third quarter before a Kevin Love 3-pointer gave Cleveland the lead for good at 63-62.
Love's basket started a flurry of five 3-pointers in the final 6:49 of the quarter. J.R. Smith's 3-pointer in the final minute of the third -- his seventh of the game -- extended the lead to 82-68 entering the fourth quarter and the Cavs coasted from there.
The 20 3-pointers were more than the Cavs made in any game during the regular season and made them the fourth team to hit 20 in a postseason game. The most recent was the Golden State Warriors last year.
Smith scored 21 points (all on 3-pointers) and Kyrie Irving had 22 points and four assists, including 13 in the first quarter. Love finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds after fighting early foul trouble.
Andre Drummond had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Pistons. Reggie Jackson contributed 14 points and six assists, although he managed just one basket in the second half. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 13 points.
After Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy was fined $25,000 for complaining about the officiating during Game 1, the calls certainly seemed to favor the Pistons.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert tweeted at halftime about the free throw disparity. The Pistons shot 20 free throws in the first half compared with one for the Cavs.
Cleveland shot 14 in the game and the Pistons shot 32. The Cavs didn't need free throws on a night they made 20 of 38 3-pointers.
NOTES: Cleveland G Mo Williams was inactive again for Game 2. Williams has been battling a left knee injury for months and the Cavs were previously hopeful he would be available. ... F LeBron James played in his 180th career postseason game Wednesday, moving him ahead of Michael Jordan and into a tie with Dennis Johnson for 16th in history. "He closed out series faster than me," James joked of Jordan. ... Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy seemed to make mention of his $25,000 fine as he concluded his pregame media session on Wednesday. "I don't think I got in trouble with that interview," he joked. Van Gundy was fined for making critical comments about the officiating. ... Van Gundy also poked fun at his own fashion after Sports Illustrated's list last week of the 50 most fashionable in sports. "I got screwed and I want to make this clear," he said. "The fact I wasn't on that list is a travesty. I'm known for my fashion, am I not? C'mon. I was very disappointed."