The Detroit Pistons stayed alive in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday night, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-94 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to set up Game 7 on Sunday in Detroit.
The victory marked Detroit’s fourth straight win this postseason when facing elimination, the most by any team since the 2023 Boston Celtics. “They just don’t quit,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “The resolve that they have, the belief that they have in one another.”
Detroit relied on stifling defense, limiting Cleveland to 29% shooting after halftime and 39% overall. Cade Cunningham led the scoring with 21 points and five three-pointers. Jalen Duren supplied 15 points and 11 rebounds, while rookie Daniss Jenkins added 15 points. Paul Reed came off the bench for 17, and Duncan Robinson, returning from a lower-back injury, hit four threes for 14 points. Ausar Thompson filled the box score with 10 points, nine boards, four assists, four steals and a block.
“It’s been a collective effort,” Cunningham said. “Great team win.”
The Pistons entered the night trailing 3-2 but drew confidence from their first-round comeback against Orlando, where they erased a 3-1 deficit. “We just want to defy all the odds,” Jenkins noted.
Friday’s result dealt Cleveland its first home loss of the postseason (now 6-1) and denied the Cavaliers an immediate return to the conference finals for the first time since 2018. James Harden scored 23 points on 6-for-13 shooting but committed eight turnovers. Donovan Mitchell struggled, finishing 6-for-20 from the field for 18 points. “We never really kicked it to that second level,” Harden said. “We’ve got to start focusing our mind for one game on the road.”
Both clubs head into their second Game 7 of these playoffs; Cleveland edged Toronto in seven games in the opening round, while Detroit eliminated Orlando the same way.
Source: ESPN
