CLEVELAND (AP) — Reggie Jackson scored 23 points, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 19 and the Detroit Pistons withstood Cleveland’s late comeback for a 96-88 win over the Cavaliers on Monday night to snap a five-game losing streak.
One day after allowing New Orleans center Anthony Davis to score 59 points with 20 rebounds, the Pistons beat the Eastern Conference’s top team for the second time this season.
Andre Drummond added 15 rebounds for the Pistons, who let an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter dwindle to six before putting away the Cavs.
Kyrie Irving, who left Sunday’s game after he says her was bitten by bed bugs at his hotel, scored 30 points and Kevin Love 24 for Cleveland, which had an off night after looking so impressive in a win at Oklahoma City on Sunday.
LeBron James scored just 12 points — 13 below his average — and went 5 of 18 from the floor, missing all four 3-point tries and committing six turnovers.
Irving blamed bed bugs — not the flu bug — for knocking him out of Sunday’s game in Oklahoma City.
The Cavaliers star guard said following Monday’s loss to Detroit that he left the nationally televised game against the Thunder after playing just 9 minutes because he was “freaked out” and tired after he was bitten on the head by bed bugs.
The Cavaliers stayed in a hotel in Oklahoma City on Saturday night.
The team said Irving was bothered by flu-like symptoms, but Irving said he got only three hours’ sleep after he saw five bugs on his pillow. He spent the rest of the night on a couch in his room.
Without Irving for most of the game, the Cavs beat the Thunder 115-92.