A putback dunk goes a long way as the Cavs topple Pistons; three takeaways

2. Turning the defense around

Cleveland turned around their perimeter defense in the second half, which allowed them to outscore the Pistons, 63-43.

The Cavs struggled defending the wing for the entire first half. There were few attempts to close out at the 3-point arc and accept the challenge in one-on-one-situations.

In the first quarter, the Cavs hung with the Pacers from beyond the arc, making three 3-pointers compared to Detroit’s five. However, in the second frame the Pistons opened up that disparity, ending the half going 10-of-21 from deep, compared to just 5-of-15 for the Cavs.

In the second half, however, the Cavs held the Pistons to just four total 3-pointers while making 10 of their own.

Down the stretch, the Cavs showed an ability to buckle down despite a few early lapses.

“I didn’t like our second quarter tonight,” James said. “We allowed a couple of open looks with no contest, so we’ve got to continue to work our habits on that. But for the most part, throughout 48 minutes, I think this is one of the best games we’ve had obviously as of late. We followed the game plan, we were on-time and on-target offensively, and didn’t have many turnovers in the fourth quarter like we had last game, so that is progress.”

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