— The Cleveland Cavaliers served emphatic notice on Monday night that the Pistons' occupancy at the top of the Central Division is temporary.
The Cavs, down four players from their normal rotation, unleashed a 73-point first half and proceeded to put the Pistons to rout, 116-88 at Little Caesars Arena.
“Unfortunately, for most teams in this league, there are three, four, five games like this a year,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. “They were great and we were awful and that’s what happens.”
Against a tired-looking Pistons defense, the Cavs shot 61.9 percent and made 11 of 17 three-pointers in the first half.