Cleveland beats Pistons 117-113 OT

The Cleveland Cavaliers left Detroit with their first road win of the postseason and a chance to close out the series at home. Cleveland beat the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime on Wednesday, May 13, at Little Caesars Arena to move ahead 3-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. (apnews.com) James Harden scored 30 points, Donovan Mitchell added 21, and the Cavaliers erased a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes of regulation. Cade Cunningham finished with 39 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Detroit in the loss. ### How did Cleveland get back into a game it was close to losing? Detroit led by nine points with about three minutes left after a Tobias Harris 3-pointer, but Cleveland closed regulation and overtime on a 23-10 run. (sports.yahoo.com) NBC Sports reported the Cavaliers shot 50% over that stretch while Detroit shot 23.5%, and Mitchell scored nine points in the closing run. Mitchell scored seven of his 21 points in overtime, according to Yahoo Sports, after a night in which he went 1-for-8 from 3-point range. Max Strus added 20 points and hit 6 of 8 from beyond the arc, giving Cleveland needed shooting as the game tightened. (apnews.com) ### Who carried Cleveland statistically? Harden posted 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 43 minutes, according to the NBA box score. The AP described it as a playoff-best scoring night for him. Strus finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Jarrett Allen had 16 points and 10 rebounds. (nbcsports.com) Evan Mobley added 19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three blocks, giving Cleveland production across the lineup even as Mitchell had an uneven shooting night. ### What did Detroit get from Cunningham, and what was missing? Cunningham kept Detroit in front for much of the night with 39 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. (sports.yahoo.com) Fox Sports and Basketball-Reference both listed him as the game’s top scorer. Daniss Jenkins scored 19 points for Detroit, but Tobias Harris finished with 13 points on 6-of-19 shooting, according to NBC Sports. (nba.com) The Pistons were outscored 14-10 in overtime after failing to finish the game in regulation. ### Why were people talking about the final possession of regulation? A loose-ball sequence involving Ausar Thompson and Jarrett Allen drew attention at the end of regulation after no foul was called. NBC Sports reported Pistons fans reacted angrily after Thompson stripped Mitchell and then went down while chasing the ball with Allen. (foxsports.com) Crew chief Tony Brothers told a pool reporter after the game that the contact was incidental. “During live play, both players were going for the ball and there was incidental contact with the legs with no player having possession of the ball,” Brothers said, according to NBC Sports. (nbcsports.com) ### What does the result change in the series? Wednesday’s result gave Cleveland a 3-2 series lead after the teams had been tied 2-2 entering Game 5. The win was the Cavaliers’ first on the road in these playoffs, according to AP and Yahoo Sports. (nbcsports.com) The series now shifts back to Ohio for the next game. Yahoo Sports reported that a Cleveland win on Friday would send the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018. (nbcsports.com) ### When is Game 6 and what comes next? Game 6 is scheduled for Friday, May 15, in Cleveland. Yahoo Sports said the NBA released the game information for the return to Cleveland later this week. Cleveland enters that game needing one win to advance, while Detroit needs a road victory to force Game 7. (apnews.com) The matchup will be the next step in a series that has now swung toward the Cavaliers after three straight wins. (foxsports.com) (sports.yahoo.com 1) (sports.yahoo.com 2)