Pistons Churn Cavs

Joe Dumars still plans to retire after this season, even though his teammates may plead with him to stick around a little longer.

Dumars scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to help the Detroit Pistons to a 89-73 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

"It's all about Joe," Pistons coach Alvin Gentry said. "When he is on the floor, we are a pretty good basketball team.

"Even when he isn't hitting shots like he did tonight, the other team has to respect him. That really widens the alleys for Grant and Jerry to drive to the hole."

Detroit has now won three of four after a five-game losing streak. The Cavaliers have lost two in a row after a five-game winning streak.

Dumars, in his 14th NBA season, has 42 points in two games since returning to the Detroit lineup after a hamstring injury.

"I sat out that week to get my leg as fresh as possible," Dumars said. "But while I was on the bench, I saw a lot of things that I thought I could help with. It's a good way to see what is going wrong."

Bison Dele, who had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons, said "Maybe we can get him a leg transplant or something so that he can play a few more years.

"He's got all that experience, but it isn't just that. He's still a heck of a talented player."

Dele played despite a nasty case of the flu that saw him race off the court during the second quarter.

"I saw Eric (Montross) get up off the bench and that was all the cue I needed," he said. "I wasn't about to let 15,000 people see me soil my pants at center court."

Dele's sudden departure caused a problem for the Pistons, though, as the officials originally insisted that he return to the game.

"They said that since it wasn't a substitution, he had to come back," Gentry said. "I told them that I didn't even know where he had gone, but they could find him, we'd put him back out there."

Shawn Kemp led Cleveland with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

"Our defense fell apart in the second half, and Joe D. just took over the game," Kemp said. "Then we started turning the ball over, and that was the game. That's been our biggest problem all year - too many turnovers."

Cleveland led 42-39 at the half, but Detroit quickly took the lead with an 8-0 run. Dumars had two baskets and a steal in the surge.

The Cavaliers went back ahead, but Dumars answered with three 3-pointers, including a four-point play, to put Detroit ahead 60-50.

Cleveland only managed 12 points in the period, but trailed 63-54 entering the fourth quarter.

Detroit's defense continued to sparkle, though, holding the Cavaliers without a field goal for the first three minutes of the fourth.

"We just broke down offensively in the second half," Cavs coach Mike Fratello said. "There was one stretch wher we had one shot in five possessions, and that wasn't even a good shot."

Cleveland cut the lead to 68-60 with seven minutes left, but Hunter iced the game with a 3-pointer as the 24-second shot clock expired.

Notes: Montross, not known for his shooting prowess, shot an air-ball on a free throw in the second quarter. ... Detroit tied a team record with nine 3-pointers in the second half. That also set Cleveland's record for most triples allowed in a half. ... Cleveland's Wesley Person (elbow) did not make the trip to Detroit.

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