Pistons force Game 7 with Game 6 win over Cavaliers

The Detroit Pistons extended their Eastern Conference semifinal series with a 115-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 15, sending the matchup to a deciding Game 7. NBA.com’s playoff page lists the series at 3-3 and schedules the final game for Sunday, May 17, at 8 p.m. (nba.com) ET in Detroit. The result kept alive a series that had tilted toward Cleveland after the Cavaliers’ 117-113 overtime win in Game 5. (nba.com) Instead, Detroit regained control in Game 6 with a decisive second half after what the Cavaliers’ team site described as a tight first half. (nba.com) The winner of Game 7 will move into the Eastern Conference finals. The NBA’s 2026 playoff bracket shows New York already waiting on the other side after finishing off Philadelphia in four games. ### How did Detroit force the series back to a final game? Detroit won Game 6 by 21 points, its largest margin of the series, and evened the matchup after trailing 3-2. (nba.com) NBA.com’s series page lists the game as a 115-94 Pistons victory and says the series is tied 3-3. Cleveland’s official site said the Pistons “blew things open in the third quarter” and then held off the Cavaliers in the fourth at Rocket Arena. (nba.com) That sequence reversed the momentum from Game 5, when Cleveland had erased a late deficit and won in overtime in Detroit. (nba.com) ### Which players set the tone in Game 6? Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 21 points, while Jalen Duren had 15 points and 11 rebounds, according to NBA.com’s Game 6 recap materials. NBA.com also identified Cunningham as Detroit’s series leader at 25.7 points and 8.3 assists per game entering Game 7. (nba.com) Donovan Mitchell entered the deciding game as Cleveland’s leading scorer in the series at 28.5 points per game, NBA.com said. The same series page lists Detroit with edges in average points, rebounds and assists through six games. (nba.com) ### What did the path to 3-3 look like? Detroit opened the series with back-to-back home wins, 111-101 on May 5 and 107-97 on May 7, according to NBA.com’s series summary. Cleveland answered with wins in Games 3 and 4 at home, then took Game 5 in overtime in Detroit to move within one win of the conference finals. (nba.com) Game 6 then reset the matchup. Cleveland’s team recap said the Cavaliers had a chance to close out the series at home on May 15 before Detroit pulled away after halftime. ### Why is this Game 7 notable in the bracket? (nba.com) The NBA bracket shows Pistons-Cavaliers as the unresolved Eastern semifinal while the Knicks have already advanced. On the Western side, the bracket shows San Antonio moving on to face Oklahoma City in the conference finals. NBA.com’s main site promoted the matchup on Sunday with the line that the “Cavs, Pistons set to go the distance once again,” reflecting a postseason in which both teams had already been pushed deep in earlier rounds. (nba.com) ### When and where is Game 7? Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, at 8 p.m. (nba.com) ET in Detroit, according to NBA.com’s East semifinal page. ESPN’s postseason schedule page for Detroit also lists the Cavaliers at Pistons on May 17. The next bracket milestone is already set. The NBA bracket lists the Eastern Conference finals matchup as New York against the winner of Detroit-Cleveland, while the NBA Finals are scheduled to begin June 3. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) (nba.com 3)