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Detroit Pistons rebound from West Coast trip, down Cavaliers

By Ricky LaBlue

Nov 17, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) guards Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 17, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) guards Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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156. Final. 104. 64. 94

This win was huge after the Pistons faltered on the West Coast road trip, losing four straight. Reggie Jackson and Ersan Ilyasova combined for 21 points in the first quarter, and the Pistons played solid defense down the stretch to seal the deal. Reggie was great at getting into the lane and feeding Andre Drummond, who had yet another stellar night against a quality big man in Timofey Mozgov. This win should propel the Pistons moving forward.

PG. Pistons. REGGIE JACKSON. A. After a less than stellar game against the Lakers, Reggie was excellent tonight. He got off to a hot start, and though he struggled shooting in the second half, he was still able to get into the lane and distribute the ball well.

KCP had himself a solid game. Sure, LeBron and J.R. Smith got theirs, but Caldwell-Pope kept them in check in the second half. He was efficient from the floor (5-11)and had a plus/minus of +13.. SG. Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE. B

B+. Ilyasova had a stellar first quarter, and played good enough defense for Detroit to win. If Ilyasova shoots 4-6 from behind the arc more often, the Pistons will be winning more times than not.. PF. Pistons. ERSAN ILYASOVA

B-. Morris, along with KCP, kept LeBron in check during the second half. He didn’t bring that much offensively, but still got to double digits.. SF. Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS

Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. A. What can I say? Drummond is having a great season, and that’s an understatement. 25 points on 10-15 shooting, along with 18 rebounds is becoming the norm with Dre. He also hit three free throws down the stretch to hold off the Cavaliers. If he wasn’t in the discussion of the best big men in the league, he sure is now.. C

B-. Johnson didn’t give much offensively, but Van Gundy stuck him on LeBron in the middle of the fourth. Johnson was up to the challenge and contributed to the defensive effort on LeBron in the second half. He’s still learning, but this game should boost his confidence defensively.. SF. Pistons. STANLEY JOHNSON

D+. Thanks to poor play from Steve Blake, Dinwiddie is getting minutes at the backup point guard position more often now. Problem is, he isn’t doing anything with them. 1-6 shooting isn’t going to cut it. He’s got to do a better job of running the offense.. PG. Pistons. SPENCER DINWIDDIE

D. Baynes, like most of the Pistons’ bench, had a terrible plus/minus. He didn’t do much on the glass or on offense, and was a liability for the Pistons as they were forced to play Drummond 39 minutes.. C. Pistons. ARON BAYNES

ANTHONY TOLLIVER. C-. Tolliver had the most minutes off the bench, and still failed to score. He missed both of his attempts had a plus/minus of -6. He’s got to provide a bigger impact off the bench.. PF. Pistons

C-. Bullock continues to get limited time off the bench, but during his five minutes, he recorded a plus/minus of -8. Perhaps more time would allow him to get into a rhythm, but he’s really out there just to space the floor.. SG. Pistons. REGGIE BULLOCK

A. The defensive adjustments on LeBron down the stretch really affected Cleveland. They failed to find a consistent threat on offense after that. Down the stretch, the Pistons switched Jackson onto LeBron and then rotated Drummond over there once LeBron got into the post. This caused a couple errant passes and disrupted the Cavaliers offensively.. Head Coach. Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY

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