LDN - Sports

Pistons' rally negates James' triple-double for Cavs

[March 10, 2017] AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Marcus Morris got the Detroit Pistons fired up. Reggie Jackson then heated up in the fourth quarter to finish off a satisfying victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jackson scored 12 of his 21 points and handed out four of his five assists in the fourth and the Pistons overcame LeBron James' 50th career triple-double and downed the Cavaliers 106-101 on Thursday night at The Palace.

"He was content to make plays for other people and didn't force the action," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said of Jackson. "It was a very, very mature game on his part."

Morris ripped his teammates during a timeout late in the first quarter after the Pistons fell behind by 15 points. Detroit recovered to take the lead by halftime, then rallied back once again after trailing by seven after three quarters.

"He put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'I got this,'" Van Gundy said of his starting small forward. "He really went after guys, challenging guys that if they didn't want to compete, just get back in the locker room."

The profanity-laced pep talk proved to be a turning point.

"A lot of F-bombs in there. He'll have to go to church on Sunday with me," fellow forward Tobias Harris said. "He definitely set the tone for the team. It's no secret that right after that, the lead started changing."

Andre Drummond powered for 20 points and 16 rebounds and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Harris had 15 points apiece for the Pistons (32-33), who have won three of their last four games.

Morris and Ish Smith each added 12 points for Detroit, which outscored Cleveland 33-21 in the fourth quarter.

"It's probably the happiest our locker room has been all year," Van Gundy said. "It wasn't just getting a win and beating Cleveland. It was the way we did it. We really, really had to fight in that game."

James collected 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, with seven of baskets coming on dunks.

Kyrie Irving supplied 27 points and Channing Frye had 15, all on 3-pointers, but Cleveland (42-21) dropped its third straight.

"In order for us to be great, we've got to be good all across the board," Irving said. "I've got to demand more of myself, as well as out of my teammates, but it starts in the fourth quarter. The momentum was in their favor. It just can't happen again."

The Cavaliers are now just two games ahead of Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland shooting guard J.R. Smith came off the bench after missing the previous 36 games with a fractured right thumb. He was 1 of 9 from the field while scoring three points in 19 minutes.

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Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) gets defended by Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris (13) during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue was back on the sideline after missing their game against Miami on Monday because of an illness.

"In the fourth quarter, we let them go 13 for 26 from the field and then gave up seven offensive rebounds after that," Lue said. "Those second and fourth quarters, we have to do a better job of cleaning that up defensively."

Frye went scoreless in the first half but caught fire after the Pistons took their biggest lead at 68-58. Frye drained four 3-pointers as Cleveland finished the quarter on a 22-5 run.

With James resting, the Pistons roared back with a 13-0 outburst behind Drummond and Jackson to gain an 86-80 lead. The Cavs finally broke their scoring drought on a Deron Williams 3-pointer moments after James returned.

Detroit continued to hold the lead and Caldwell-Pope's corner 3-pointer with 2:17 left made it 101-93. A James layup knocked Cleveland's deficit down to three at 101-98.

Jackson then made a floater in the lane. Frye hit another 3 with 5.5 seconds remaining to make it 104-101. But Jackson sealed Detroit's win with two free throws.

NOTES: On the same night SG J.R. Smith returned to action, SG Kyle Korver missed his first game since being traded to the Cavaliers in early January because of left foot soreness. "Get one back and you lose one, but thankfully, Korver's (injury) is not as serious," Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said. "He should be back in due time." ... The Cavaliers are the third-highest scoring team in the league behind Golden State and Houston. They have the best records in the league along with San Antonio. "Overall, people have shifted more in an offensive direction," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I'm not sure the defenses, or at least the vast majority of defenses, have caught up at this point." ... Detroit has now won 12 of its last 15 home games. ... Cleveland was 38-2 when tied or leading after three quarters before Thursday's loss. ... The Pistons lead the season series 2-1. They meet once more in the regular season on Tuesday at Cleveland.

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