The Pistons got a heated rematch with one of their biggest rivals in the Cavaliers on Tuesday night, and it didn't go according to plan for Detroit. The Cavaliers picked up an important 113-109 victory despite missing All-Star Donovan Mitchell. They still had James Harden to lead the offense and put together a great team defensive performance.
Harden was an important midseason acquisiton for the Cavs, but he wasn't the only one. Two other key arrivals both came from the Kings: Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder. And both proved their value in this game. Schroder was instrumental as a backup point guard, just as he was for the Pistons a year ago. And Ellis played great defense on Cade Cunningham, helping to hold him to just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
The Cavaliers have established themselves as a major threat
Cleveland is now 8-1 in games that Harden has played, and rolling on all fronts. Harden's playmaking has unlocked the full potential of their twin tower bigs in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. At the same time, Harden's size has actually improved the Cavaliers' defense compared to his previous counterpart in Darius Garland.
Even in their last matchup against the Pistons, those bigs were able to cause problems for Detroit. Along with their wing defenders, the Cavs' bigs were able to match the Pistons' physicality and ruin Isaiah Stewart's return from suspension. There are few teams that are able to beat the Pistons at their own game, and those will be the toughest matchups in the playoffs.
Adding another lethal scorer in Mitchell to this squad could make them all the more dangerous. He's been a regular All-NBA performer for years now, and can even elevate his scoring further in the playoffs. When he gets going, it's hard to disrupt him regardless of the quality of defense being played.
Cleveland's defense can make all the difference
But ultimately, it's the Cavaliers defense that makes them truly scary for Pistons fans. The Pistons actually got great contributions from many of their lesser offensive players, including 16 points from Ausar Thompson and 19 points from Tobias Harris. But Cade's struggles cost the Pistons this game.
The Cavaliers were able to throw multiple strong defenders at Cade, including the aforementioned Ellis and Jaylon Tyson. Tyson has emerged as an elite 3-and-D wing in his second year and is making a huge impact for the Cavaliers. He's also supported by his huge back line of Mobley and Allen, who crowded the paint against Cunningham.
With the current standings, the Cavaliers and Pistons could be set for a collision course in the second round of the playoffs. If that matchup comes to fruition, the Pistons will have their hands full with their biggest threat in the conference.