James Harden scored 30 points and Donovan Mitchell added 21, including seven in overtime, as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied past the Detroit Pistons 117-113 on Wednesday night, grabbing a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Max Strus added 20 points and eight rebounds, Evan Mobley had 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who snapped a five-game playoff road losing streak. Harden finished with eight rebounds and six assists, while Jarrett Allen chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds.
“You hope it propels us. You hope it galvanizes us. You hope we sustain the momentum,” Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said.
Cade Cunningham led all scorers with 39 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Daniss Jenkins added 19 for the Pistons, who now face elimination for the fourth time this postseason.
“It’s a tough loss,” Cunningham said. “Obviously we wanted to protect our home floor. We didn’t. To be down 3-2 is not an advantage for them.”
The Cavaliers took control early in the extra period, scoring the first nine of 11 points to build a 112-105 lead. Cunningham’s jump shot with 25.9 seconds left brought Detroit within 113-111, but the Cavaliers closed the game from the free-throw line. Harden and Mobley combined to make four of six foul shots in the final seconds.
“They started double-teaming and getting the ball out of Cade’s hands. We’ll find ways to fix it. We’ll be better,” Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff said.
Cleveland pushed a four-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Detroit answered with a 15-2 surge to go up 100-91 with under four minutes to play. The Cavaliers missed their first nine shots of the period before mounting a comeback, eventually tying the game at 103 on two free throws by Mobley with 45.2 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers had a chance to win but couldn’t convert their final shot before regulation expired.
Detroit started strong, jumping to a 7-2 lead behind Jenkins, who scored all seven points in the opening spurt. Cleveland quickly settled down, and the rest of the first quarter turned into a back-and-forth affair with four ties and six lead changes.
Detroit seized control early in the second quarter with an 18-5 blitz to take a 47-32 advantage. The Cavaliers answered with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to seven, but the Pistons led 60-52 at halftime after forcing Cleveland into 10 turnovers that translated into 20 points.
Cleveland turned the tables in the third quarter as Detroit’s offense stagnated and the Cavaliers took better care of the ball. The Pistons missed eight of their first 10 shots of the period, allowing Cleveland to erase the halftime deficit and tie the game 68 midway through. The Cavaliers committed only two turnovers in the quarter and capitalized on Detroit’s drought with an 11-3 run, entering the fourth with an 84-80 lead.
“It wasn’t our best offensive night, but I think it speaks to what this win says and that is we found a way, and it was the first time doing that on the road in the playoffs,” Strus said. “And I think that’s something big to build on going forward.”
The Pistons were without starting guard Duncan Robinson due to lower back pain. Game 6 of the best-of-seven series is Friday in Cleveland. A Cavaliers win would send them to the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks, while a win by the Pistons would set up a Game 7 back in Detroit on Sunday.
