It was another sellout crowd down at the Gund Sunday, but that was the only thing positive going on at the arena. Detroit (46-25) squashed Cleveland (31-38) 96-76 for the Cavs second straight loss, with Jeff McInnis sitting out both games due to an injured shoulder.

Both losses have come at Gund Arena, where the Cavs have had some recent success. The Cavs came into the game with a two-game winning streak versus the Pistons, but that was in the past.

The Cavs were able to score more than 70 points against the Pistons, as many have not of late, but were held to a season-low of 31 points for the whole first half. The Cavs started the game off strong, but the Detroit defense set in and went on an unmatchable run.

The Pistons came out of the third quarter with no letdown in mind and eventually pushed the lead to 28 points. Chauncey Billups led the Detroit charge with 18 points and Richard Hamilton added 14 of his own. Detroit's subs pretty much finished out the fourth quarter for the win.

It was the defensive effort that set the tone early for the Pistons. With the Cavs leading 17-13 lead, but the Pistons went on a 14-0 spurt and never looked back. The Pistons rarely gave the Cavs an easy look at the basket, and when they did, the shots didn't fall. Despite the poor Cavalier showing, Carlos Boozer led the Cavs with 21 points and 17 rebounds. LeBron James didn't shoot well, scoring 15 points on 5-17 shooting.

The Cavs record now stands at 11-5 since the All-Star break. And with the loss, they still cling to the eight spot in the Eastern Conference with 13 games remaining.

Detroit's bench outscored the Cavs 39-17. Corliss Williamson led the charge with 13 points, while Mehmet Okur scored 12. In all, the Pistons had six players score in double-figures. Off the bench, DaJuan Wagner shot just 1-11 from the field for three points.

Cleveland outrebounded Detroit 45-38. But it was the shooting that was the problem. Detroit shot 54 percent in the first half and 45 percent for the game. The Cavs shot 31 percent in the first half and 38 percent for the game.

Kedrick Brown had 4 points in a rare appearance off the bench, as he was recently activated off the disabled list.

Cleveland wraps up its five-game homestand Tuesday against Phoenix.