The Detroit Pistons gave the Cleveland Cavaliers all they could handle, but yet again, the defending Eastern Conference Champions did just enough down the stretch to seal the win.
Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 31 points -- including a 3-pointer to put the Cavs up four with 42 seconds left -- and LeBron James finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists as Cleveland finished off a sweep of the Pistons on Sunday, winning 100-98. Kevin Love added an 11 point, 13 rebound double-double for the Cavs, who now move on to the Eastern Conference semifinals to face the winner of the Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics series.
The Pistons threatened late, getting within two points with just 32 seconds remaining on a Reggie Jackson dunk. After a missed shot from Irving, Jackson could not convert a desperation three with the clock winding down in regulation.
It was a tight game from start to finish, with neither team claiming a double-digit lead, but Cleveland managed to keep Detroit at arm's length before the No. 8 seed's last-minute surge. The Pistons' came out hot in the first quarter, jumping out to an early 12-3 advantage -- their biggest of the night -- but the Cavaliers responded with strong first-half showings from James, Irving and J.R. Smith, who went 4-for-5 from deep before the break.
The Pistons' frontline had a strong showing, as Marcus Morris finished with a team-high 24 points and Andre Drummond (17 pts, 11 reb) and Tobias Harris (23 pts, 13 reb) both tallied double-doubles. Jackson had a double-double of his own with 13 points and 12 assists, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was limited to nine points on 3-of-10 shooting.
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