The Cleveland Cavaliers, playing without injured guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, narrowly missed an upset of the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Friday night before losing 122-119 in overtime at Little Caesars Arena.
Cleveland led in the final seconds of regulation, but two missed free throws opened the door for Detroit. With 4.6 seconds left, Cavaliers forward Jaylon Tyson fouled Daniss Jenkins on a desperation three-pointer from midcourt. Jenkins converted all three attempts to knot the score, and the Pistons controlled the extra period to secure the win.
“They aren’t in our class,” one Cavaliers player told Cleveland.com after the game.
Forward Evan Mobley, who finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in his strongest outing since returning from a calf strain, predicted a tougher matchup for Detroit come spring. “I feel like we’re one of the top teams,” he said. “They’ve got to face us, honestly. We’re going to learn from this game and just keep stacking wins heading into the playoffs.”
Injury updates
• Mitchell sat out with a right groin strain. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said team feedback indicates “it’s not a long-term thing,” though Cleveland remains cautious with soft-tissue injuries.
• Harden, sidelined by a fractured right thumb, wore a protective brace during Friday morning’s shootaround but struggled to dribble and shoot. “The thing’s broken,” Atkinson noted. “If you have a hard time dribbling and catching, that’s tough.”
• Reserve guard Keon Ellis also missed Friday’s contest after tests revealed a non-displaced volar plate avulsion in his left index finger. Ellis recalled hurting the finger while diving for a loose ball Wednesday against Milwaukee, a game in which he still logged 29 minutes and scored 14 points.
Despite the short-handed lineup, Cleveland forced the conference leaders to the brink. Atkinson highlighted Mobley’s energy and growing confidence as “the most positive thing about this game.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
