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Irving helps Cavs edge Pistons

Feb 13, 2014 - 5:46 AM Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyrie Irving scored seven of his 23 points in the final 30 seconds to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 93-89 victory over the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Cleveland led 86-85 in the final minute before Irving took control for the Cavaliers. Tristan Thompson totaled 25 points and brought down 15 rebounds while shooting 12-for-16 from the field.

The win marks the first four-game winning streak for the Cavs since winning eight straight from March 8-24, 2010.

"It's been fun," said Irving. "Last year we went on a three-game winning streak and we came in and laid an egg at home. This time we had a back to back and we could have folded, especially at halftime. But we trusted one another."

Josh Smith scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Andre Drummond added 16 points and 17 boards for Detroit, which next faces Charlotte on Wednesday following the All-Star break.

"They controlled the game down the stretch," said Detroit interim head coach John Loyer. "You lead for 46 minutes, you expect to win the game."

Greg Monroe scored 16 points and had nine rebounds for the Pistons, while Will Bynum and Kyle Singler contributed 12 points apiece, the latter adding seven rebounds in defeat.

The Cavaliers trailed 81-80 with 2:06 remaining before Irving calmly sank a pair from the line to put Cleveland ahead.

Smith answered with a dunk to put Detroit back on top. However, Thompson followed up with a dunk of his own.

After a missed 4-footer from Smith on the other end, Thompson put back an Irving miss and gave the Cavaliers an 86-83 advantage before Irving closed out the game.

Detroit led 76-66 with 8:20 left after Bynum knocked down a pair from the line, but the Cavaliers knotted the contest at 78-78 with five minutes remaining on the strength of a 12-2 burst.

Monroe scored eight points in the first five minutes to help the Pistons jump out to an early 17-7 lead. Detroit stretched its advantage to 26-13 with 2:46 left in the first quarter, but Cleveland finished the quarter with a 9-2 burst to pull within 28-22.

After the teams traded baskets for much of the second quarter, Detroit used a 10-4 surge to carry a 51-40 lead into the break.

Game Notes

Cleveland will face Philadelphia Tuesday following the All-Star break ... Detroit outrebounded Cleveland, 53-45 ... The Pistons shot 4-for-23 from distance, while the Cavaliers went 5-for-15 from beyond the arc ... The Cavaliers made 40.5 percent (34-of-84) from the field, while the Pistons made 39.8 percent from the floor (33-of-83).