This is what playoff experience looks like — and why it matters.
Detroit took a nine-point lead with three minutes to go on a Tobias Harris 3-pointer. From that moment on through the end of overtime, Cleveland stepped up, outscoring Detroit 23-10, shooting 50% to the Pistons 23.5%, Cleveland was 2-of-3 from beyond the arc while Detroit was 0-of-5, and Donovan Mitchell led the way shooting 4-of-5 in that stretch with nine points, while Cade Cunningham was 1-of-4 for two points as Cleveland doubled him and dared anyone else to beat them.
The result was Cleveland’s first road win in these playoffs, a 117-113 victory that sends them home with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to close out the series on Friday night on their home court.
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“You’re going to have to choke the life out of this team,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of his team. “We’re not going to go down without a fight. We’re not going to go down without kicking, punching, grabbing, clawing. That’s just who we are.”
Pistons fans were livid about a play at the end of regulation. After Ausar Thompson made a brilliant read on Mitchell and stripped the ball away, it looks like Jarrett Allen fouls Thompson going for the loose ball. Crew Chief Tony Brothers, standing right there, sees the play but chooses not to decide the game on a foul away from the basket. There was no call and the game headed to overtime.
“During live play, both players were going for the ball and there was incidental contact with the legs with no player having possession of the ball,” Brothers told a pool reporter of the no-call after the game.
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That call is not why the Pistons lost the game.
Cleveland was the mentally tougher team on the night — they trailed by 15 at one point, by nine late, and just kept making plays. It was Cleveland’s best defensive effort of the series. Detroit made plays, but when Cleveland doubled Cunningham and dared anyone else to beat them, nobody stepped up. It was another rough night for Jalen Duren, who did not play in the entire fourth quarter, as Bickerstaff chose to go with Paul Reed.
Cunningham scored 39 on the night, with nine assists and seven rebounds. Daniss Jenkins added 19, and Tobias Harris had 13 points but on 6-of-19 shooting.
Cleveland got 30 points on the night from James Harden, who was at times brilliant and at times made head-scratching plays. Mitchell came on late with 21 points, but the unsung hero of the night was Max Strus, who scored 20 on the night, making 6-of-8 from 3-point range, plus playing strong defense. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen combined for 35 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks.
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Jenkins got his first playoff start for Detroit because Duncan Robinson was a late scratch. Without Robinson, the Pistons still opened the game 5-of-9 from 3, with Isaiah Stewart going 2-of-2 on above-the-break 3-pointers, and after one quarter it was 29-27 Pistons. Detroit forced six turnovers which led to 11 points, and Cade Cunningham had 10 points.
Detroit started the second quarter shooting 8-of-8 from the floor, three of those makes by Harris, and stretched their lead out to 15. Give the Cavaliers credit, they responded with an 8-0 run to keep it in single digits at the half.
Cleveland was careless with the basketball in the first half, turning the ball over 10 times leading to 20 points for Detroit, and that’s why the Pistons led 60-52 after 24 minutes.
Once again the third quarter belonged to Cleveland. The Cavaliers stopped turning the ball over (just twice in the fourth), moved the ball well, and Harden scored 9, while the Pistons shot just 33.3% from the floor. It was Cleveland by four at the end of three.
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Then Detroit started the fourth on a 5-0 run to retake the lead. The Cavaliers started the fourth 0-of-9 (plus two shots blocked and three turnovers) and the Pistons went on a 12-0 run and took an eight-point lead.
But as they had been all night, the Cavaliers were resilient. They fought back. And now they can close out the series at home.
