Pistons force Game 7 with Game 6 win over Cavaliers

The Detroit Pistons forced a Game 7 on Friday, May 15, with a 115-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, according to NBA.com. The result tied the Eastern Conference semifinal series at 3-3 and sent it back to Detroit for a winner-take-all game on Sunday. Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 21 points, while Jalen Duren added 15 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. The NBA’s official series page lists Game 7 for May 17 at 8 p.m. ET in Detroit. ### How did Detroit push the series to a seventh game? Detroit broke the game open in the second half and won by 21 points after entering the night facing elimination, NBA.com’s game recap said. The Pistons finished 16-for-36 from three-point range, a figure the recap said was tied for their postseason high, and their bench outscored Cleveland’s reserves 48-19. (nba.com) J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit’s coach, said the Pistons “did what needed to be done” and pointed to defense and physicality after the game. He said he was pleased his team was “allowed to play our style of basketball,” according to the Associated Press report carried on NBA.com. ### Which players set the tone for the Pistons? (nba.com) Cade Cunningham scored 21 points and made five three-pointers in Game 6, according to NBA.com’s recap. Jalen Duren posted 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Daniss Jenkins also scored 15 points for Detroit. Duncan Robinson, who had missed Game 5 with a lower back injury, returned to score 14 points off the bench with four made three-pointers. (nba.com) Paul Reed added 17 points as part of Detroit’s bench surge. Cunningham told reporters after the game that returning home for the decider would be “a fun environment for us” and said the team was “excited to get back to the crib,” according to the AP report on NBA.com. ### What made the margin notable? The Pistons’ 21-point victory matched a 66-year-old NBA playoff record for the largest Game 6 road win by a team trailing 3-2 in a series, the AP report said. (nba.com) NBA.com said the only previous instance came in 1960, when the St. Louis Hawks beat the Minneapolis Lakers 117-96 in the West Division finals. Detroit also extended a pattern of elimination-game wins in this postseason. NBA.com said the Pistons have now won four times while facing elimination, including the final three games of their first-round series against Orlando after trailing that matchup 3-1. ### Where does the series stand after six games? The NBA’s playoff series page shows Detroit and Cleveland tied 3-3 through six games. (nba.com) Detroit won Games 1 and 2, Cleveland answered with wins in Games 3 and 4, the Cavaliers took Game 5 in overtime, and the Pistons responded with the Game 6 blowout. The same NBA page lists Cunningham as Detroit’s series leader at 25.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game through six contests. (nba.com) Donovan Mitchell is listed as Cleveland’s series leader at 28.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. ### Where can readers find the official highlights and what comes next? (nba.com) The NBA posted extended full Game 6 highlights to its YouTube channel on May 15, the video page shows. NBA.com’s game page also links to highlights and postgame video from Cunningham, Bickerstaff and Cavaliers participants. Game 7 is set for Sunday, May 17, at 8 p.m. (nba.com) ET in Detroit, according to NBA.com’s game summary and playoff series page. The winner will move on from the Eastern Conference semifinal round after a series in which both teams have three wins through six games. (nba.com) (youtube.com)