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The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.
WINNER – Jaylon Tyson
Earlier this week, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson was asked what the ideal role for Jaylon Tyson is. His response? Defend, rebound, and make open shots.
I’d say Tyson checked all of the above tonight.
Tyson led the Cavs with 22 points on 5-12 three-point shooting. Each of his makes came off the creation of other players, knocking down catch-and-shoot opportunities to punish the defense and reward his teammates. Tyson also played superb defense throughout the night, at times checking Cade Cunningham and helping to “drain his battery,” as Atkinson put it.
As for the rebounding, Tyson only finished with 3 rebounds. But make no mistake, he was fighting for every loose ball and boxing his man to secure defensive stops. All in all, it was everything the Cavs envisioned him doing in a big win over an Eastern Conference rival.
It can be tough for a young player to have their place in the rotation juggled as much as Tyson has recently. But when the details of the job are as clearly defined as they are, it makes it easier for Tyson to slot back into his role on any given night.
LOSER – Injuries
It feels like the Cavs have been bitten by the injury bug all season. They’ve been without key plays throughout the year, including tonight. And as the game went on, they lost another one.
Jarrett Allen left this game in the third quarter with a knee injury. It appeared to be a non-contact injury that happened as Allen was going after a rebound. That’s something no one likes to see. Until we find out more, we won’t know how bad this is. We’re hoping the four days off are enough to get Allen healthy and back on the court.
WINNER – The James Harden Step Back
Everyone is aware of James Harden’s patented step-back jumper. For many of us, that jumper brought nothing but pain for the past decade and a half.
But now that he’s doing it in a Cavs jersey? I have to say, it’s a piece of art.
Harden began this game by slamming on the brakes and nailing a step back jumper. A few minutes later, he turned Ausar Thompson fully around before smacking another three. Finally, he sent Cade Cunningham to Parma with a step-back that brought the crowd to its feet. Harden let that one linger, doing a mini-shimmy before (tragically) missing the attempt.
This wasn’t an efficient game from Harden. In fact, those two step-back jumpers were the only three-point shots he made tonight. But you know what, he made each one count.
WINNER – Hustle
We’ve all heard it. The Cavs are soft and can’t handle intensity. Certainly not against a bruising, physical team like the Pistons.
So, what happened tonight?
Cleveland established an early lead by beating the Pistons to loose balls. They gobbled up second-chance opportunities throughout the first half, setting the tone that they wouldn’t be folding over and taking a big loss on the glass tonight.
The Pistons eventually won the rebounding battle 44-38, but the Cavaliers finished with more offensive rebounds. And they forced Detroit into 13 turnovers behind 7 steals. The tenacity that Cleveland played with made it seem like maybe the difference in perceived toughness won’t matter so much once the ball is actually tossed into the air.
I don’t want to jinx anything, obviously. But this is consecutive games against the Pistons, where physicality was simply not a concern. The Cavs met and passed the test.