Cavs Top 3: Kevin Love leads the way with rare double-double in win over the Detroit Pistons

The Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Detroit Pistons in dominating fashion.

The Cleveland Cavaliers would not be denied on Friday night, as they dominated the Detroit Pistons soundly, 112-88. The Cavs were able to do this without their two best scorers in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, who were out for the game. Instead of trying to replace the missing offense, Cavs’ head coach decided to go with a defensive mindset with his starting five, putting Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade in the starting rotation.

The emphasis on defense first paid off, as Okoro and Wade really gave the Pistons fits, with the Pistons’ best shooter Bojan Bogdanovic going just 2-9 for the game and finishing with six points. They held Cade Cunningham to just three points in the third, and with the Pistons getting blown out, they pulled the young man at the start of the fourth.

As a whole, the Pistons shot just 37% from the floor and 35% from three. Some of that poor shooting came because of Evan Mobley, who was a terror down low and had a career-high eight blocks. The Pistons’ paint play was so bad on both ends of the court that Cunningham was playing down low on Mobley and Allen at times, to disastrous results.

For as bad as the Pistons’ offense was, the Cavs’ offense was all the rage with Kevin Love and Jarrett Allen taking over when needed. Love really showed off how good of a facilitator he could be when called upon, dishing out 10 assists. Love, as well as Cedi Osman, hit their shots, giving the Cavs all the offense they needed to win.

The Cavs have the Los Angeles Lakers up next on Sunday.

Cleveland Cavaliers top 3 vs. the Detroit Pistons

1 Point – Cedi Osman

While Evan Mobley had eight blocks, Cedi Osman had 15 points, shooting 4-6 from three, while pulling down four rebounds and putting up six assists. Yes, Mobley’s career-high is good and very helpful, but without Osman’s scoring, the Cavs may not get the blowout.

2 Points –Jarrett Allen

Jarrett Allen was just cruel to the Pistons all game long. He was dunking on them left, right and center, and there wasn’t a thing he could do. He looked like peak Shaquille O’Neal, taking what he wanted without a second thought. He had a game-high 23 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

3 Points – Kevin Love

You gotta give it to Kevin Love. Not only did he shoot 70% for the game, but he nearly had a triple-double. He was just two rebounds away from it too and had he played at all in the fourth quarter, he probably would’ve gotten it. Love did finish with 21 points and 10 assists, a first since his last season in Minnesota, some eight years ago.

Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings

• Donovan Mitchell – 16 Points
• Kevin Love and Jarrett Allen – 8 Points
• Cedi Osman – 7 Points
• Darius Garland, Dean Wade & Caris LeVert – 3 Points
• Evan Mobley – 1 Point