The Detroit Pistons are not ready to pack it in. Detroit walked into Cleveland yesterday and walked out with a 115-94 win, keeping its season alive and forcing a decisive Game 7. The top-seeded Pistons seized control after halftime and knotted the Eastern Conference semifinal at 3-3. The winner-take-all showdown is set for Sunday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Detroit’s second-half surge rode the offensive glass, timely 3-point shooting and a bench that completely outclassed Cleveland’s reserves. Jalen Duren finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, Daniss Jenkins added 15, and the Pistons’ second unit buried Cleveland’s bench 48-19. Detroit turned 13 offensive boards into 20 points, and the Cavaliers’ 20 turnovers were cashed in for 28 Pistons points, according to The Associated Press.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 21 points and five 3-pointers, Paul Reed added 17, and Duncan Robinson chipped in 14 off the bench, per the official box score. James Harden paced Cleveland with 23 points, while Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley finished with 18 apiece. Detroit went 16-of-36 from deep and edged Cleveland 52-48 on the glass, numbers recorded on NBA.com.
How Detroit Took Control
After a tight first half, the Pistons blew the game open coming out of the locker room with a 14-4 run, then later slammed the door with a 13-2 burst. Jenkins and Cunningham kept punishing the Cavs from outside, forcing Cleveland to chase the game the rest of the night. The Cavaliers did make a push to trim the margin, but Detroit’s defensive pressure and second-unit scoring never really let them breathe. That stretch flipped the night firmly in Detroit’s favor, with turnovers and cold shooting from long range dogging Cleveland, as detailed in the play-by-play recap at Yahoo Sports.
Game 7: What To Watch
Sunday’s decider shapes up as a battle of discipline and toughness. For Detroit, the formula is familiar: control the boards and value the ball. Cleveland, meanwhile, needs sharper execution late and a tighter perimeter defense after watching the Pistons rain threes and feast on mistakes. Tipoff is scheduled for Sunday at Little Caesars Arena, with national TV coverage and streaming on Amazon Prime Video listed by Pistons.com and reported in The Detroit News.
The winner moves on to the Eastern Conference finals and brings a serious wave of momentum into a showdown with the conference’s top teams. For complete stats and possession-by-possession detail, check the official game numbers on NBA.com and the in-depth gametracker at CBS Sports.
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