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Cavs eliminated from playoff contention despite win

Apr 10, 2014 - 3:42 AM Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - The Cleveland Cavaliers were led by seven players scoring in double figures as they cruised to a 122-100 rout of the Detroit Pistons at Quicken Loans Arena.

Despite the win, the Cavaliers were eliminated from playoff contention as the Atlanta Hawks edged the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Dion Waiters tallied 22 points and eight assists and Spencer Hawes had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have won six of nine. Luol Deng and Tristan Thompson scored 13 and 10, respectively, with Deng adding seven assists.

Coming off the bench, Tyler Zeller scored 18, Matthew Dellavedova netted 14 and had a career-high 12 assists and Anderson Varejao added 11 points and 12 boards.

"I thought our guys played a good basketball game. We hit a little lull in the third quarter but besides that time I thought the little things we always talk about were really good tonight," said Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown.

Brandon Jennings and Jonas Jerebko had 17 points apiece, with Jennings adding seven helpers for the Pistons, who have lost three of five. Rodney Stuckey and Greg Monroe contributed 15 points apiece and Andre Drummond added 11 points and 14 rebounds in defeat.

After trading scores early on Cleveland used a 13-4 surge, with 11 points coming from Hawes, to make it a 23-13 game with four minutes left in the first. The Cavaliers led, 31-18, heading into the second frame and did not look back.

Cleveland bridged a 16-2 run into the second quarter and stretched its advantage to 25 points with nine minutes left in the first half. The Pistons came as close as 20 after that point, but the Cavs took a 69-37 lead into the break.

"We weren't getting back on defense and they were making shots when we weren't," Jennings said of his team's struggles. "I think at one point we missed 11 straight shots in the first half. We definitely can't win like that."

The Cavaliers remained ahead by at least 20 points and ended the third period with a 12-4 run.

Detroit trailed, 98-70, to start the fourth and managed to come within 22 points before the game ended.

Game Notes

The Cavaliers bench outscored the Pistons bench by a 54-34 margin ... The teams split the season series. This marks the first season since 2009-10 that Detroit hasn't won the season series ... Cleveland has won five straight against Central Division opponents ... The Cavaliers have allowed fewer than 45 points in the paint in 18 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NBA.