West returns to lineup, leads Cavs past Pistons

West returns to lineup, leads Cavs past Pistons

CLEVELAND (AP)—Delonte West scored 25 points in his first game since mid-January and LeBron James added 20, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 99-78 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.

West, sidelined since Jan. 15 with a fractured right wrist, was 8-of-11 from the field and made all five of his 3-point attempts. He scored 13 points in the first quarter when the Cavaliers put the game away against the sluggish Pistons, who have lost six straight for the first time since February 2004, and fell to 27-27.

James, who scored 55 points Friday night against Milwaukee, played just 31 minutes, added nine assists and five rebounds.

Allen Iverson led the Pistons with 14 points.

The Cavaliers, who trailed only at 2-0, had three big runs in the first half, the first two coming less than 15 minutes into the contest. Leading 9-8 early in the first quarter, Cleveland went on a 15-0 run, sparked by two 3-pointers by West and five points by James, pushing the lead to 16.

The Cavaliers added a 12-0 spurt early in the second quarter, building the lead to 43-19. That burst featured two 3-pointers from Mo Williams and six points by Zydrunas Ilgauskas. A 13-0 run later in the period, sparked by seven points by James and five by West, including another 3-pointer, pushed the lead to 63-29 with 1:46 left before halftime.
Cleveland Cavaliers' Delonte West goes up for a shot against Detroit Pistons' Antonio McDyess (24) in the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, in Cleveland. West scored 25 points to lead Cleveland to a 99-78 win.
Cleveland Cavaliers' Delon…
AP - Feb 22, 10:32 pm EST

Cleveland built the lead to 36 in the third quarter against a reeling Detroit team. The news doesn’t get any better for the Pistons, who have lost 15 of 20. Sunday’s game began a five-game trip, which also features stops in Miami, New Orleans, Orlando and Boston.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers, who own the NBA’s best home record at 25-1, lead the Pistons by 16 games in the Central Division.

Ilgauskas added 16 for Cleveland, while Szczerbiak scored 15. Walter Herrmanm scored 13 for Detroit.

Notes

Detroit G Rodney Stuckey, who totaled five points in the previous two games, scored 10. … Pistons F Jason Maxiell was given a technical foul in the second quarter. … The Cavaliers committed three turnovers through the first three quarters. … Cavaliers radio play-by-play announcer Joe Tait missed the game because of kidney stones.