The Detroit Pistons are rolling—and the Cleveland Cavaliers are running out of answers.
Cade Cunningham posted 25 points and 10 assists, Tobias Harris added 21, and the Pistons beat the Cavaliers, 107-97, on Friday at Little Caesars Arena to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The top-seeded Pistons have now won five straight games since the Orlando Magic pushed them to the brink of elimination in the first round.
Game 3 is Sunday in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers went 4-0 against the Toronto Raptors in the first round.
Pistons Found the Answers When It Mattered
The Pistons led by 11 in the first quarter and 14 in the second but could not fully shake the Cavaliers, who tied the game and briefly took an 81-79 lead on an Evan Mobley dunk early in the fourth quarter. Cleveland had scored the first 6 points of the final period to make it a contest again.
Then Detroit responded.
Duncan Robinson hit a tiebreaking three-pointer with 9:40 remaining, and Cunningham converted another three with 2:12 to go to push the lead to 9 and effectively end the game. Robinson finished with 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting from deep. Daniss Jenkins came off the bench to score 14—his third consecutive game in double figures.
James Harden’s struggles were a significant factor in Cleveland’s inability to close the gap. He shot 3-for-13 for 10 points and turned the ball over four times, including once with 33 seconds left and the Cavs trailing by six. Max Strus, who scored 19 in Game 1, managed only 3 on Thursday—going 0-for-4 from three in the fourth quarter as Cleveland shot 0-for-11 from deep in the final period. That kind of shooting does not win games, especially not against a Detroit team that has been executing down the stretch.
Donovan Mitchell Fought, But Not Enough
Donovan Mitchell gave Cleveland everything he had. He scored 31 points and was the primary reason the Cavaliers stayed within reach for as long as they did. Jarrett Allen bounced back from a poor Game 1 with 22 points and 7 rebounds—a significant improvement that kept the Cavs competitive in the paint.
But Mitchell cannot do it alone. Cleveland also lost reserve guard Sam Merrill to a hamstring injury sustained in Game 1. Merrill averaged 12.8 points during the regular season and scored in double digits twice across the seven-game first-round series against the Raptors. His absence leaves the Cavaliers’ bench thinner at exactly the wrong moment.
What It All Means
Two games, two 10-point Detroit wins. Cunningham was the best player on the floor across both games—23 points in Game 1, 25 and 10 assists in Game 2. Harris has been reliable at every critical moment. The Pistons are playing with the confidence of a team that knows it belongs at this stage, not one that is surprised to be here.
Cleveland goes home for Games 3 and 4 needing a response. Mitchell is capable of providing one. Whether the rest of the Cavaliers can match him is the question this series will now spend the next two games answering.
