Jaylon Tyson does double duty as Cavaliers beat Pistons, hold Cade Cunningham in check

CLEVELAND — Cavaliers swingman Jaylon Tyson was a double threat Tuesday. Not only was he forced to score at a high level, the coaching staff asked him to defend the Detroit Pistons' best player in Cade Cunningham. Cleveland limited the two-time All-Star to 10 points — 15.5 under his average — as the Cavs rolled to their seventh consecutive home victory 113-109 at Rocket Arena. "I fear no man," Tyson said of guarding the Pistons point guard, who shot 4-of-16 from the field and 0-of-3 from behind the arc. Leading scorer Donovan Mitchell (groin) and valuable role player Dean Wade (ankle) were held out. Adding to the Cavs' woes, center Jarrett Allen bumped knees with a Detroit player in the third quarter and was sidelined the rest of the way. Tyson took over offensively and finished with a team-high 22 points, three rebounds, four assists and two blocks. He buried 5-of-12 from behind the 3-point line, as Cleveland outscored the Pistons 51-27 from long distance. The key to the game, though, might have been the stellar defense on the 6-foot-6, 243-pound Cunningham, the first pick in the 2021 draft from Oklahoma State. "Cade struggled a bit in the fourth quarter," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "Jaylon wears him down. It was a huge night for him." Guard Keon Ellis, who fouled out, also defended Cunningham, but in a different manner. Instead of being physical like Tyson, Ellis used his quickness, foot speed and athleticism. "We tried to throw bodies at him," Atkinson said. Cavs point guard James Harden, who was 5-of-17 from the field, ended with 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists. However, he turned the ball over five times for the second game in a row. Cleveland (39-24) also received a strong effort from reserve guard Dennis Schroder, who had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Atkinson was happy to knock off the league's top team — the season series finished 2-2 — but bemoaned the fact the Cavs had seven turnovers in the fourth quarter. "I wish we had taken better care of the ball in the fourth quarter," he said. "(Pistons swingman Ausar) Thompson is like a one-man wrecking crew." All-Star center Jalen Duren had a game-high 24 points and 14 rebounds for Detroit (45-15), while forward Tobias Harris had 17 of his 19 points in the third quarter. Thompson was his normal pest with 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals, and Cunningham dished out a game-high 14 assists. It wasn't known if Allen would miss any time. He played in all 82 games last season. In his previous 12 games since Feb. 1, Allen averaged 22.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.16 blocks and shot .727 from the field (104-of-143). He was a strong candidate for NBA Player of the Month for February, an accolade won by Cunningham. The Cavs are 15-4 in their last 19 games, as well as 22-8 since Dec. 29. Their seven-game winning streak at Rocket Arena marked their longest at home since winning 10 straight from Dec. 1, 2024, to Jan. 9, 2025. Tyson's brother, Jordyn, was in attendance. He's a wide receiver at Arizona State and a candidate to be drafted by the Browns in April. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X. Cavaliers 113, Pistons 109 DETROIT (109): Harris 6-12 6-7 19, Thompson 7-11 2-4 16, Duren 7-9 10-14 24, Cunningham 4-16 2-2 10, Robinson 2-6 2-2 8, Holland II 3-4 0-0 8, Stewart 2-4 0-0 4, Green 5-7 0-0 13, Jenkins 2-4 0-0 5, LeVert 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 39-77 22-29 109. CLEVELAND (113): Mobley 5-9 6-8 18, Tyson 8-15 1-3 22, Allen 4-7 0-2 8, Harden 5-17 6-6 18, Merrill 3-10 0-0 9, Bryant 2-5 3-3 9, Ellis 2-5 3-3 7, Porter Jr. 3-8 0-0 7, Schroder 6-10 1-1 15. Totals 38-86 20-26 113. Detroit&emsp;27&emsp;21&emsp;32&emsp;29&emsp;—&emsp;109 Cleveland&emsp;25&emsp;29&emsp;35&emsp;24&emsp;—&emsp;113 3-Point Goals—Detroit 9-24 (Green 3-5, Holland II 2-3, Robinson 2-5, Jenkins 1-1, Harris 1-3, Thompson 0-1, Cunningham 0-3, LeVert 0-3), Cleveland 17-46 (Tyson 5-12, Merrill 3-7, Schroder 2-3, Bryant 2-4, Mobley 2-4, Harden 2-9, Porter Jr. 1-4, Ellis 0-3). Fouled Out—Detroit None, Cleveland 1 (Ellis). Rebounds—Detroit 44 (Duren 14), Cleveland 38 (Porter Jr. 8). Assists—Detroit 29 (Cunningham 14), Cleveland 27 (Harden 7). Total Fouls—Detroit 23, Cleveland 20. A—19,432 (19,432).