James Harden scored 30 points and Donovan Mitchell added 21, including seven in overtime, as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 117-113 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Max Strus had 20 points and eight rebounds and Evan Mobley added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who snapped a five-game road playoff losing streak. Harden added eight rebounds and six assists, while Jarrett Allen contributed 16 points and 10 boards.
Cade Cunningham finished with 39 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Daniss Jenkins added 19 points for the Pistons, who will face elimination for the fourth time this postseason.
Game 6 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Cleveland.
Cleveland took control early in overtime, scoring nine of the first 11 points to build a 112-105 lead. Cunningham’s jumper brought Detroit within 113-111 with 25.9 seconds remaining, but the Cavaliers closed it out at the free-throw line as Harden and Mobley combined to hit four of six foul shots in the final seconds.
Cleveland pushed its lead to four early in the fourth quarter, but Detroit responded with a 15-2 run to take a 100-91 advantage with just under four minutes left. Cleveland missed its first nine shots of the period before rallying late, eventually pulling even at 103 on Mobley’s two free throws with 45.2 seconds to play. The Cavaliers had a chance to win, but were unable to get a shot off on their final possession before time expired.
The Pistons came out aggressively and grabbed an early 7-2 lead behind Jenkins, who scored all seven of Detroit’s points during the opening burst. Cleveland quickly settled in, and the remainder of the first quarter turned into a back-and-forth battle featuring four ties and six lead changes.
Detroit seized control early in the second quarter with an 18-5 run to build a 47-32 lead. Cleveland answered with an 8-0 spurt to pull within seven, but the Pistons carried a 60-52 halftime advantage after forcing 10 turnovers that led to 20 points.
Cleveland flipped the momentum in the third quarter as Detroit struggled offensively and the Cavaliers took better care of the ball. The Pistons missed eight of their first 10 shots, allowing Cleveland to erase the halftime deficit and pull even at 68 midway through the quarter. The Cavaliers had just two turnovers in the quarter and capitalized on Detroit’s cold stretch by closing with an 11-3 run to take an 84-80 lead into the fourth.
The Pistons played without starting guard Duncan Robinson, who was sidelined with lower back soreness.
