DETROIT _ The last time the Cavaliers visited the Pistons on March 14, the Cavs prevailed by 32 points _ the largest winning margin in the history of the series.
The Cavs roster may include eight new players, but their 116-88 destruction of the Pistons on Monday night was just as brutal.
Making their debut in the Little Caesars Arena, the new venue the Pistons share with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, the Cavs needed no time to adjust. They poured in 73 points in the first half, one shy of their season high, and steamrolled the Pistons for their fifth consecutive victory.
It marked the Cavs' fourth consecutive road triumph; they are 5-1 away from Quicken Loans Area this month.
The Pistons (11-6) entered the day tied for second in the Eastern Conference, but were no match for the sizzling Cavs.
Slow starts have bedeviled the Cavs, but not on this night. They shot 62 percent from the field and 65 percent (11-of-17) from 3-point range in the first half.
Their previous largest lead this season was 19 points at Milwaukee on Oct. 20. Against the Pistons, they were up by 27 at halftime at by 39 after three quarters.
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue sat his starters for the entire fourth quarter after they hit 58 percent from the field and 60 percent (15-of-25) from beyond the arc through 36 minutes.
Kevin Love led the Cavs with 19 points, hitting 8-of-12 from the field, with 11 rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes.
LeBron James scored 16 points in the first quarter, hitting 6-of-8 field goals, and finished with 18 points, two rebounds and eight assists in 27 minutes. Jae Crowder scored 18 points, besting his season-high of 17 at Washington on Nov. 3.
The Cavs rolled despite the fact they were without their top three point guards _ Derrick Rose (left ankle), Iman Shumpert (left knee) and the still-rehabbing Isaiah Thomas (right hip) _ along with center Tristan Thompson (strained left calf).
Jose Calderon made his second start of the season at the point and contributed 14 points, hitting 4-of-5 field goals, including 1-of-2 from deep, and 4-of-4 free throws. He added four rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes.
While the Cavs' defense may still be a work in progress, their offense has picked up the pace and their scoring has followed. They entered third in the league in scoring (110.6) and fourth in offensive efficiency (108.4 points per 100 possessions).
Playing their third game in four nights, the Pistons were the perfect foe to showcase those strides.
Asked the reason for the improvement, Lue said, "We've always been a 3-point shooting team and early on in the season we struggled to make shots, weren't playing with a lot of pace. I think our pace has picked up and us making more shots has opened things up for us, and also getting to the free-throw line."
The Cavs hit 16-of-17 from the line against the Pistons as Crowder went 6-for-6.
The Pistons fell to 3-1 on the second night of a back-to-back after finishing last season 3-14. They saw a six-game home winning streak snapped, the first such streak since they claimed seven in a row in 2007-08.
At shootaround, James tried to make light of the fact that the Cavs were without four rotation players. It was announced Saturday that Shumpert would miss perhaps a week, which came on the heels of the news that Rose would be sidelined for at least two more weeks.
"Oh, we've got someone else out again? Three point guards?" James said. "It's good to know that we have depth. That's what we talked about in the preseason, that's what we talked about on media day. But it's very difficult and it's very challenging, not only on the guys that's on the court but on the coaching staff, trying to figure out.
"Sometimes you get a rhythm and then another guy goes down, so that's what we're here for. We have the depth to be able to try to bandage it up until we can all become full."
