LeBron labels the Cavs “not a very good team”…
The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a 23-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday as the visitors put on a show from the beyond the arc with 17 three-pointers.
Since releasing Josh Smith, the Pistons have stepped up their play and Brandon Jennings led the charge on Sunday evening with 25 points as they routed the Cavaliers.
Andre Drummond added 16 points and 17 rebounds for the visitors who improved to 7-23 for the season but it was their shooting from three-point range that sealed the win as they went on an 18-0 run in the second quarter to leave their Eastern Conference rivals trailing.
Kevin Love finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while LeBron James added 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but without point guard Kyrie Irving and injured center Anderson Varejao, the Cavaliers struggled to get any stops and were made to look ordinary.
“We’re not a very good team, as far as on the court, where we’re still trying to find our way,” James said.
“Right now we’re just not very good in every aspect of the game that we need to be to compete every night.”
Elsewhere, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Houston Rockets behind 24 points from Danny Green as Patty Mills returned from injury to make his first appearance of the season with teammate Tim Duncan insisting that his energy and effort is “contagious”.
James Harden (28 points) and Dwight Howard (24 points, 17 rebounds) threatened to extend the Spurs two-game losing skid, but the hosts had enough to finally beat their rivals after six straight losses.
The Dallas Mavericks were also victorious on Sunday as Dirk Nowitzki put up 30 points to wipe out a late deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Serge Ibaka posted 26 points and 10 rebounds as Russell Westbrook struggled with his shooting, and so the Thunder drop to 15-17 as they continue to push for the playoffs.
The Eastern Conference leaders were winners again on Sunday as Kyle Lowry continues to put the team on his back and lead them forward without DeMar DeRozan.
Lowry had 30 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists in a win over the Denver Nuggets while Lou Williams stepped off the bench to drop 31 points on the Nuggets to improve the Raptors to 24-7.
NBA Results
Detroit Pistons 103-80 Cleveland Cavaliers
Houston Rockets 106-110 San Antonio Spurs
Oklahoma City Thunder 107-112 Dallas Mavericks
New York Knicks 79-101 Portland Trail Blazers
Toronto Raptors 116-102 Denver Nuggets
Phoenix Suns 116-107 Los Angeles Lakers
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