Cavaliers clinch series with 125-94 Game 7 win in Detroit

The Cleveland Cavaliers closed out Detroit on May 17 with a 125-94 win in Game 7 at Little Caesars Arena, sending Cleveland to the Eastern Conference finals. Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Jarrett Allen had 23 and Sam Merrill added 23 as the Cavaliers won the series 4-3, according to NBA box scores. The result set a conference finals matchup with the New York Knicks, who hold home-court advantage as the No. 3 seed. Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, at Madison Square Garden. ### How decisive was Cleveland's Game 7 win in Detroit? Cleveland won by 31 points after leading 31-19 at the end of the first quarter and 66-43 at halftime, according to NBA box scores. The Cavaliers shot 50.6% from the field and finished with 31 assists on 43 made baskets. Detroit scored 94 points on 35.3% shooting and got 17 points from Daniss Jenkins. Cade Cunningham finished with 13 points on 5-for-16 shooting, and Tobias Harris scored five points in 22 minutes. ### Which Cavaliers drove the closeout? Mitchell led Cleveland with 26 points and eight assists in 31 minutes, according to the official box score. Allen scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Merrill made five 3-pointers and also scored 23. Evan Mobley added 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Cleveland had four players score at least 21 points, and its starters posted a plus-17 or better except for Max Strus, who was plus-11. ### What numbers best explain the outcome? The Cavaliers finished with a 50-41 rebounding edge and went 28-for-44 at the free-throw line, according to NBA.com. Detroit went 22-for-29 from the line and committed 14 turnovers to Cleveland's 11. The Pistons made 12 3-pointers to Cleveland's 11, but Cleveland separated inside and in transition. Allen, Mobley and Mitchell combined for 70 points, and the Cavaliers outscored Detroit by 23 points across the first two quarters. ### How did Cleveland get here? The NBA playoff bracket shows Cleveland, the No. 4 seed in the East, beat Toronto 4-3 in the first round before eliminating top-seeded Detroit in seven games in the semifinals. New York, the No. 3 seed, swept Philadelphia 4-0 in the conference semifinals. WKYC, citing the updated playoff schedule after Sunday's result, reported that Cleveland reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since the 2017-18 season. The NBA's official playoff page lists Cavaliers-Knicks as the East finals matchup. ### When does the Knicks series start, and where are the games? Game 1 is set for Tuesday, May 19, at 8 p.m. Eastern at Madison Square Garden, according to the published series schedule. Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, also in New York, before the series shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday, May 23. The schedule published after Cleveland's win lists Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 in New York and Games 3, 4 and 6 in Cleveland. The winner of Cavaliers-Knicks will advance to the NBA Finals against either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs. May 19 is the next date on Cleveland's schedule, with Mitchell and the Cavaliers opening the Eastern Conference finals against Jalen Brunson and the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.