Cavs Start Off Hot, Larry Sanders Unexpectedly Makes His Debut in Blowout Win over Pistons

The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Detroit Pistons, 128-96 on Tuesday, March 14.

The Cavs shot 17-for-20 from the field in the first quarter, scoring 44 points, and began the game 23-of-26, hitting their first ten three-pointers of the night.

Cleveland built the lead up to 27 early in the second quarter and never looked back.

LeBron James posted his third triple-double in his last four games.

Larry Sanders made his long-awaited return to the NBA, after a two-and-a-half year absence, as head coach Tyronn Lue inserted him into the game with just under two minutes to play.

Lue had to receive permission from general manager David Griffin to allow the newly signed big man to play.

Tyronn Lue had to get David Griffin's permission to let Larry Sanders play late in the game.

Said they sent a ball boy to ask Griff pic.twitter.com/nFzjHCJXHj

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 15, 2017

Lue sent a ball boy up to ask Griffin’s permission and was told Sanders could play two minutes – nothing more.

The crowd welcomed Sanders into Quicken Loans Arena with open arms and perhaps lost in the shuffle of the night, J.R. Smith also made his return to action in front of his home fans earlier in the game.

All things considered, it was a wire-to-wire dominant win and a great way to respond after what Kyrie Irving called “a learning experience” of a road trip last week.

Irving indicated the Cleveland’s stretch of losing four out of five games was more a result of guys getting accustomed to playing together, as the Cavs try to fit the pieces together in lite of Smith’s return, the addition of Deron Williams, the injuries to Kevin Love and Kyle Korver, and an ever-changing roster that has struggled to find consistency, mostly due to injuries.

Having a day off between games and the chance to open up a brief two-game homestand in the friendly confines may have been the ideal opportunity to get those pieces clicking, as the Cavs were firing on all cylinders from start to finish at the Q.

Cleveland returns to action Thursday night against a formidable Utah Jazz team, which currently sits fourth place in the Western Conference.