DETROIT — LeBron James scored 16 of his 18 points in the first quarter and the Cleveland Cavaliers made 11 3-pointers in the first half on the way to a 116-88 rout of the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

Cleveland led 73-46 at halftime thanks to an overwhelming shooting performance, an indication that Detroit’s stay atop the Central Division might not last much longer. The Pistons still lead the Cavs by a game, but Cleveland has won five straight and scored at least 110 points in eight of its last nine.

The Cavaliers led 27-22 when James went to the bench late in the first quarter. By the time he came back in, it was 50-30. Cleveland’s reserves ended up outscoring Detroit’s 26-8 in the first half.

The Cavs shot 62 percent from the field in the first two quarters and 11 of 17 from 3-point range. They finished the game 16 of 33 from beyond the arc. Cleveland led 101-62 after three, and the top players for both teams had plenty of time to rest in the final period.

This had the feel of a big game before it started. Although there were still some empty seats at Little Caesars Arena, the Pistons’ new home seemed closer to full than on previous nights, and the team played well on offense at the start. A 3-pointer by Avery Bradley put Detroit ahead 18-17.

76ERS 107, JAZZ 86: Ben Simmons scored 27 points, a fired-up Joel Embiid added 15 points and 10 rebounds despite a sore knee, and Philadelphia won at home.

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PACERS 105, MAGIC 97: Victor Oladipo had 29 points, nine rebounds and seven steals to lead Indiana to its fourth straight win, over host Orlando.

KNICKS 107, CLIPPERS 85: Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points and host New York extended the Los Angeles Clippers’ losing streak to nine.

HORNETS 118, TIMBERWOLVES 102: Dwight Howard had 25 points and 20 rebounds, and Charlotte won at home.

Howard, acquired in an offseason trade from Atlanta, was 8 for 10 from the field and 9 of 14 at the foul line.

WIZARDS 99, BUCKS 88: Bradley Beal scored 23 points to lead Washington at Milwaukee.

Beal helped the Wizards separate from the Bucks with a personal 7-0 run in the third quarter..

TRAIL BLAZERS 100, GRIZZLIES 92: C.J. McCollum scored 24 points and Damian Lillard added 21 points as Portland sent host Memphis to its fifth straight loss.

SPURS 96, HAWKS 85: LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and San Antonio won at home.

PELICANS 114, THUNDER 107: Anthony Davis had 36 points and 15 rebounds, and New Orleans rallied at home after DeMarcus Cousins was ejected.


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