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Saturday, Apr. 8 7:30pm ET
Detroit tired playing 2nd straight night | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Jerry Stackhouse stared at the floor, looking too tired to get undressed. A few feet away, Grant Hill submerged his sore left ankle in a tub of ice. Fatigue beat the Pistons, and so did the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Shawn Kemp scored 25 points and Lamond Murray had 11 of his 21 in the third quarter when Cleveland pulled away as the Cavs ended Detroit's four-game winning streak with a 117-98 victory. "Our team is tired," said Pistons coach George Irvine. "We've played five games in seven nights, but this is the first poor game we've played. Grant said his ankle is killing him." The Cavs, coming off a one-point loss at Indiana on Friday night, snapped a three-game losing streak against a tired Detroit team playing for the second straight night and the fourth time on the road since Sunday. Hill, who got electrical treament on his ankle before and after the game, scored 11 points on 4-of-18 shooting -- 1-of-12 after the first quarter -- and went just 2-of-8 from the line. He sat out the final eight minutes when the game got out of reach. "It (his ankle) was pretty sore at the start," said Hill, who scored 13 points in a win over Charlotte on Friday. "With a back-to-back, I just have to rest it, get treatment and try to be ready on Monday (for Minnesota)." Stackhouse, averaging 24 points per game, wasn't much better. He was only 3-of-14 from the floor, missed two dunks and had five turnovers. "We just didn't have it tonight," said Hill. "We didn't have the extra oomph that was needed to win. We need a day to recover and start off positive next week." Kemp made all 11 of his free throws and added 13 rebounds and five blocks for the Cavs, who had their highest point total in 25 games. All five Cleveland starters scored in double figures, and the Cavs dominated inside with a season-high 57 rebounds. Reserve Jerome Williams was the lone Detroit player with any energy, getting 19 points and 10 rebounds. Bob Sura added 21 points and rookie Andre Miller had 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Cleveland. "The key was stopping Hill and Stackhouse," said Miller. "We did some good rotating on defense to double-team them and then we kept them off the boards." The game ended with some rough play in the final few minutes with Detroit's Michael Curry and Eric Montross getting ejected in the final minute. "In my opinion, it wasn't a well-officiated game," said Stackhouse, who jawed with the Cavs bench in the closing seconds. "They kind of let the game get out of hand. That's what happened at the end of the game. When the game isn't in control from the start, that's the type of stuff that happens." After leading by two to start the third quarter, Wesley Person hit a 3-pointer to ignite a 12-4 spurt that helped the Cavs open a 67-57 lead. Murray then scored on an assortment of drives, jumpers and putbacks to give Cleveland an 86-74 lead after three. Kemp scored on a three-point play and two free throws and Ferry buried a 16-footer to complete a 7-0 run as the Cavs made it 95-79 with about eight minutes left.
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Detroit Clubhouse Cleveland Clubhouse RECAPS Dallas 98 LA Clippers 96
Cleveland 117
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