Detroit showed who was the better team tonight with a convincing 85-72 win over Cleveland. Although not exactly a blowout, Detroit coach David Smith and his players outplayed Cleveland from start to end. "I was hoping for a better outcome," said Cleveland coach Bob during a post-game interview. "But they just overpowered us, and there was nothing we could do to adjust. David Smith's team was more talented and better-prepared, and it would have taken quite a bit of luck for us to overcome that."

The loss was tough on Cleveland fans, who had expected great things from their team after some offseason moves. "I think reality is starting to sink in," said one team. "We didn't expect to see other teams outplaying us this badly, but Detroit sure made their point."

Detroit was led by Martin (30 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, a block), White (8 points, 17 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, a block), Lacroix (18 points, 8 boards, 0 assists, a block). Cleveland was led by Patrick (27 points, 6 boards, 0 assists, a steal, 2 blocks), Smith (10 points, 9 assists, a steal), Scurry (17 points).

Detroit have been victorious in the past 5 games and are now 38-24. They stay at #2 in the Central and stay at #5 overall in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland fall to 33-28 and 21-12 at home. They remain at #5 in the Central and hold at #9 overall in the Eastern Conference.

box score Detroit* roster Cleveland roster