Pistons fire early, rout Cavs
Andre Drummond had 23 points and 16 rebounds, and the Pistons cruised to a 113-102 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last night in Detroit.
Blake Griffin added 21 points and 12 rebounds for Detroit, and Reggie Bullock scored 21 points. The Pistons led 66-46 at halftime, and the game was never close after that. The Cavaliers are now an NBA-worst 2-13 heading into their reunion with LeBron James, as the Los Angeles Lakers play at Cleveland tomorrow night.
The lead reached 30 in the third quarter before the Cavaliers went on an 18-2 run that lasted well into the fourth.
Collin Sexton led the Cavs with 18 points, and Jordan Clarkson contributed 16.
Pacers 121, Jazz 94 — In Indianapolis, Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points, Domantas Sabonis nearly had a tripledouble and Indiana beat Utah.
Sabonis had 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as Indiana won its third straight — this one without All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who sat out with a sore right knee.
Ricky Rubio matched his season high with 28 points to lead Utah, which has lost three of four and looked weary on the final night of a five-game trip.
76ers 119, Suns 114 — Joel Embiid scored 19 of his 33 points after halftime and added 17 rebounds to help host Philadelphia beat Phoenix.
Ben Simmons added 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for Philadelphia, which won its third straight while remaining the only team in the league unbeaten at home (9-0). The 76ers play five of their next six in Philadelphia.
Devin Booker had 37 points and eight assists for the Suns, who started a four-game road trip with their sixth loss in seven games.
Clippers 127, Hawks 119 — Montrezl Harrell had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Lou Williams added 16 points and a season-high 11 assists, and visiting Los Angeles rallied past struggling Atlanta for its fifth straight victory.
Bucks 104, Nuggets 98 — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and Eric Bledsoe added 22, including two late 3-pointers, as host Milwaukee overcame a 17-point, first-half deficit to down Denver.
Grizzles 98, Mavericks 88 — Mike Conley scored 28 points, Marc Gasol had 17 points and 15 rebounds and host Memphis broke open a close game in the fourth quarter to beat Dallas.
Pelicans 140, Spurs 126 — Anthony Davis had 29 points and nine rebounds, Julius Randle added 21 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in 25 minutes, and host New Orleans won its third straight, beating San Antonio.
Elsewhere in the NBA — Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine needs reconstructive surgery on his left ankle and likely will miss the entire season.
The Bulls announced he was diagnosed with “ongoing ankle instability” after being examined by a specialist in Green Bay. He will have surgery next week, with a recovery of four to six months . ...
Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson was fined $25,000, one day after he threw one of his sneakers several rows into the stands midway through the fourth quarter of a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.