CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell scored 20 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter, Darius Garland had 19 points in his return from a broken jaw and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons 128-121 on Wednesday night.
Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 11 rebounds for his franchise-record 16th straight double-double and Isaac Okoro added 14 points for the Cavaliers. Cleveland won for the 11th time in 12 games and is an NBA-best 16-4 since Dec. 16.
Danilo Gallinari scored 20 points and went 4 of 4 on 3-pointers, and Cade Cunningham had 19 points and seven assists for Detroit, which was seeking its first back-to-back wins since Oct. 27-28.
A seesaw fourth quarter saw Detroit take a 118-116 lead with 3:20 remaining on Jalen Duren’s layup. The Cavaliers answered with a 10-0 run, capped by four free throws by Mitchell, to complete their eighth consecutive win over the Pistons.
Garland logged 20 minutes in his first action since Dec. 14, when he sustained the injury in a collision with Boston center Kristaps Porzingis. The former All-Star was sidelined for 19 games, forcing Mitchell to slide over to point guard.
The Cavaliers had their projected starting lineup together for just the 12th time this season. Two days earlier against the Clippers, Evan Mobley returned from a 21-game absence after undergoing left knee surgery.
Like Mobley, Garland’s minutes will be limited as he works his way back. After facing the Pistons, the Cavaliers will play at Memphis on Thursday and at San Antonio on Saturday.
Cleveland built a 94-85 advantage in the third quarter of Wednesday’s game, the largest lead by either team in a game that included 11 ties and 11 lead changes.
Jaden Ivey scored 14 points and Duren finished with 10 points and nine rebounds as Detroit had seven players score in double figures. Forward Mike Muscala left the game after four minutes with a head injury.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
This story originally appeared on ESPN
