Mitchell leads Cavs to OT Game 5 win

James Harden scored a playoff-best 30 points on May 13, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime at Little Caesars Arena to move within one win of the Eastern Conference finals. Donovan Mitchell added 21 points, and Cleveland erased a nine-point deficit late in regulation, according to the NBA’s game recap and box score. (nba.com) Cade Cunningham scored 39 points for Detroit, which led 60-52 at halftime before Cleveland extended the game and took control in overtime. The result gave the Cavaliers a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series after three straight wins. (espn.com) ### How did Cleveland get out of a game it was close to losing? Detroit led by nine points late in the fourth quarter before Cleveland closed regulation on a push that forced overtime, the NBA recap said. The Cavaliers then outscored the Pistons 14-10 in the extra period to finish the comeback and secure their first road win of the postseason, Yahoo Sports reported. The box score showed Cleveland made 31 of 38 free throws and hit 14 of 35 shots from 3-point range, numbers that helped offset 16 turnovers. (nba.com) Detroit shot 44% from the field and committed 10 turnovers, but the Pistons scored only 10 points in overtime after taking a 103-94 lead with under five minutes left in regulation, according to the play-by-play summary surfaced by game feeds. ### Who carried the Cavaliers on the stat sheet? Harden finished with 30 points, 11 free throws made and three 3-pointers, while Mitchell scored 21 and Jarrett Allen added 19 points and 10 rebounds, according to the official box score. (sports.yahoo.com) Evan Mobley contributed 19 points, eight assists and three blocks as Cleveland got four core players into double figures. The Cavaliers also got key possession plays from Allen and Mobley in the closing stretch. Cleveland recorded 13 offensive rebounds and nine blocks, and Allen collected six of those boards on the offensive end, the box score showed. (sportsdata.usatoday.com) ### What did Cunningham do for Detroit? Cunningham scored 39 points on 13-for-27 shooting and added nine assists for Detroit, according to the box score. He made six 3-pointers and was the Pistons’ top offensive option throughout a game in which Detroit led after the first quarter, at halftime and after three quarters. (nba.com) Paul Reed added 20 points and eight rebounds for Detroit, and Ausar Thompson had four steals and three blocks. Tobias Harris scored 14 points as the Pistons tried to protect home court in a series that opened in Detroit because the Pistons entered as the East’s top seed, according to schedule and game reports. (sportsdata.usatoday.com) ### Was Mitchell actually the leading scorer in this game? Mitchell scored 21 points, but Harden led Cleveland with 30 in Game 5, according to the NBA recap, AP report and official box score. Mitchell had been Cleveland’s leading scorer in earlier games of the series, including a 35-point performance in Game 3 listed on ESPN’s playoff schedule page, which may explain the confusion in some early references to Game 5. (sportsdata.usatoday.com) Yahoo Sports’ live report on the game said Cleveland was “just a win away” after the overtime result. (sportsdata.usatoday.com) The same report described the victory as the Cavaliers’ third straight in the series and their first road win of this postseason. ### What comes next in the series? Game 6 is scheduled for Friday, May 15, in Cleveland, according to ESPN’s playoff schedule and Cleveland.com’s series schedule report. (nba.com) Detroit will need a road win to force a Game 7, while Cleveland can clinch the series with one more victory. Friday’s game will be the next checkpoint for Cunningham, Harden, Mitchell and Mobley after Cleveland turned a near-loss in Detroit into a chance to close the series at home. (nba.com) (espn.com) (sports.yahoo.com)