Cavaliers take 3‑2 series lead, beat Pistons 109‑104 in OT

The Cleveland Cavaliers moved within one win of the Eastern Conference finals on May 13, beating the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime in Game 5 of their second-round series. Cleveland now leads the best-of-seven matchup 3-2 after dropping the first two games and then winning three straight, according to the NBA’s series page. Donovan Mitchell remained Cleveland’s scoring leader for the series, but Game 5 turned on late possessions and overtime execution as the Cavaliers won on the road for the first time in these playoffs. ### How did Cleveland leave Detroit with a 3-2 lead? The NBA’s official playoff page listed the final score as 117-113 in overtime and showed Cleveland taking a 3-2 series lead with Game 6 set for May 15. The same page showed the Cavaliers had lost Games 1 and 2 before winning Games 3, 4 and 5. Game 5 was the first overtime game of the series, and Cleveland’s win gave it a chance to close out the matchup at home on Friday. (nba.com) The NBA page said the Cavaliers “make key plays in OT” and “gut out a big win on the road.” ### Which player set the tone in Game 5? James Harden scored 30 points for Cleveland in Game 5, according to the NBA playoff page, which labeled him the game’s featured performer. (nba.com) The page’s series recap also said Cleveland won despite an off night from Mitchell, a sign that the Cavaliers got scoring support beyond their top postseason scorer. Cade Cunningham scored 39 points for Detroit, the NBA page showed in its Game 5 highlights listing. That production kept the Pistons in front of their home crowd deep into regulation before Cleveland closed the game in the extra period. ### What do the series numbers look like through five games? Cleveland and Detroit were dead even in scoring through five games, with both teams averaging 108.6 points per game in the series, according to NBA.com. (nba.com) The Cavaliers held the edge in rebounds at 40.4 per game to Detroit’s 37.4, while Detroit averaged 23.6 assists to Cleveland’s 22.6. Donovan Mitchell entered the next game as Cleveland’s leading scorer in the series at 30.6 points per game, while Cunningham led Detroit at 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. Those numbers, posted on the league’s series page after Game 5, underline how much of the offense has run through the two guards. ### How fast did the series swing? (nba.com) Detroit opened the series by winning the first two games, 111-101 and 107-97, before Cleveland answered with victories of 116-109, 112-103 and 117-113 in overtime, according to the NBA playoff page. That sequence turned a 2-0 Pistons lead into a 3-2 Cavaliers advantage in less than a week. (nba.com) The NBA page did not frame the turnaround beyond the results, but the game-by-game scores show Cleveland steadily raising its output after being held under 100 points in Game 2. The Cavaliers scored at least 112 points in each of the next three games. ### When is the next game, and where is the series headed? Game 6 is scheduled for Friday, May 15, at 7 p.m. (nba.com) ET in Cleveland, according to NBA.com’s series page and the published playoff schedule. If Detroit wins, Game 7 would be played Sunday, May 17, with the league listing that game as if necessary. The winner of Game 6 will either advance to the Eastern Conference finals or force the series back to Detroit for a deciding game two days later. (nba.com) Cleveland enters that next step with the 3-2 lead and three consecutive wins.