Cavaliers lose James early in 109-74 loss

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- LeBron James was grounded at the Palace after lifting his game to rarefied air in his previous visit.

James sprained his left index finger in the second quarter Wednesday night, and did not return, and the Detroit Pistons went on to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 109-74.

“A win is a win,” said Richard Hamilton, who led Detroit with 18 points. “LeBron is a big part of their team, but they’ve still got five guys with an NBA jersey on the court.”

The Cavaliers said James’ X-rays were negative, adding he would be evaluated again today.

“I think he’s day to day,” Cleveland Coach Mike Brown said. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow before we worry about anything beyond that.”

James, who returned to Cleveland’s bench late in the third quarter sporting a suit and turtleneck, did not answers questions afterward.

He appeared to be injured with 4:41 left in the first half, when Detroit center Nazr Mohammed fouled him.

Cleveland, trailing only 48-43 at halftime, was lost without him.

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