Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Cleveland Cavaliers shrugged off the injury absence of star point guard Donovan Mitchell to score a 113-109 upset of the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. Jaylon Tyson scored 22 points while James Harden and Evan Mobley finished with 18 points apiece to give the Cavs an impressive victory before their home fans. A hard-fought encounter saw Cleveland take the lead early in the second quarter, and dogged defense combined with consistent offense kept them in front for the remainder of the game. “It’s a good win, not perfect by any means, but we’ll take it,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said afterwards.
Jalen Duren led Detroit’s scorers with 24 points, but it was a frustrating night for Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who was restricted to just 10 points by Cleveland’s relentless defense. “Just throw bodies at him, try to wear him down, contest everything, and try to keep him off the free throw line,” Atkinson said of Cleveland’s approach to Cunningham. Despite the defeat, Detroit remained comfortably on top of the Eastern Conference on 45-15, four and a half wins clear of second-placed Boston. Cleveland improved to 39-24 and is fourth in the East.
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Elsewhere Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs produced another dazzling all-round performance on the road to demolish the Philadelphia 76ers 131-91. Sixers fans began heading for the exits well before the end as San Antonio surged into a 49-point lead towards the end of the third quarter. Eight San Antonio players finished in double figures, with Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper leading the scoring with 22 points each. “It wasn’t any amazing individual performance; it was just team play,” said San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, who contributed 10 points. “When we’re locked in, when we feel like this as a team, I think we’re the best team in the world,” Wembanyama added.
The Oklahoma City Thunder maintained their grip on the Western Conference with a 116-108 defeat of the Chicago Bulls on the road. The Thunder are three games clear of San Antonio at the top of the table. The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, were pushed all the way by the struggling New Orleans Pelicans before edging clear to claim a 110-101 victory. A back-and-forth contest in Los Angeles saw the lead change hands 18 times before the Lakers finally closed out the win with a 24-7 run late in the fourth quarter. Luka Doncic led the scoring with 27 points, with LeBron James adding 21 as the Lakers improved to 37-24 to remain in sixth place in the Western Conference.
In Minneapolis, Anthony Edwards’ 41 points helped the Minnesota Timberwolves take down the Memphis Grizzlies 117-110, while in Toronto, the New York Knicks were too strong for the Raptors in a 111-95 win.
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