CLEVELAND — Darius Garland had 21 points and seven assists, Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers led by 35 points in a 114-90 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
Evan Mobley had 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots, Jarrett Allen scored 15 points and Caris LeVert had 11. The Cavaliers are fourth in the Eastern Conference with 16 games left.
All-Star starter Mitchell, who sprained a finger on his left hand in the third quarter, and Garland only played 24 minutes apiece as the Cavaliers swept the four-game season series with Detroit. The Pistons were held below 95 points in each.
Cleveland is 40-26 and leads surging New York by 1½ games for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Marvin Bagley III had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Detroit. The Pistons have the second-worst record in the NBA at 15-49 and are 0-11 in the Central Division. They have lost seven straight overall and seven in a row on the road.
Detroit played without four starters in center Jalen Duran (bilateral ankle soreness), forwards Bojan Bogdanovic (bilateral Achilles soreness) and Isaiah Stewart (right hip soreness) and guard Cade Cunningham (left tibia stress fracture).
Neither team led by double-digits until Mobley made a floater to open the third quarter, putting Cleveland up 56-45.
Ricky Rubio’s 3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Cavaliers their largest advantage at 102-67.
Pistons rookie Buddy Boeheim — the son of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim — scored his first NBA points on a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. He only played one minute without taking a shot in his one previous game.
Change of scenery
Pistons center James Wiseman has seen his playing time double since being acquired in a Feb. 9 trade with Golden State. The second overall pick in the 2020 draft averaged 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 24.7 minutes over his first five games with Detroit. “I love him, I think he’s a sponge,” coach Dwane Casey said. “He’s just raw and we have an opportunity to be patient with him, which Golden State didn’t.”
Tip-ins
Pistons: Duren is averaging an NBA rookie-high 8.7 rebounds. The Memphis product has missed four straight games. … F Isaiah Livers (left ankle sprain) returned from a one-game absence. … F Eugene Omoruyi, who made two starts and played in 23 games with Oklahoma City this season, signed a 10-day contract.
Cavaliers: Mitchell and C Jarrett Allen both appeared in their 400th NBA games, while F Isaac Okoro played in his 200th. … Garland committed four fouls in the first half. … G Sam Merrill signed a 10-day contract to fill the roster spot that was held by F Kevin Love before his release. Merrill was averaging 16.4 points with the Cleveland Charge of the G League, setting a team record with 10 3-pointers against Greensboro on Feb. 22.
Up next
Pistons: Host Portland on Monday night.
Cavaliers: Host Boston on Monday night.