Pistons force Game 7 with 115-94 win over Cavaliers

The Detroit Pistons extended their season on Friday, May 15, with a 115-94 road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Detroit tied the series 3-3 and sent it back to Little Caesars Arena for a deciding Game 7 on Sunday night. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 21 points, and Jalen Duren posted 15 points and 11 rebounds in Cleveland, according to NBA box scores. Cleveland shot 39.0% from the field and committed 20 turnovers as the Cavaliers missed a chance to close out the series. ### How did Detroit push the series to a seventh game? Detroit built the margin with balance rather than one huge scoring night. Cunningham finished with 21 points and eight assists, Duren had a double-double, and Paul Reed added 17 points off the bench. Daniss Jenkins scored 15 points, and Duncan Robinson hit four 3-pointers on his way to 14. (nba.com) The Pistons shot 43-for-82 from the field, or 52.4%, and made 16 of 36 attempts from 3-point range. Detroit also outrebounded Cleveland 43-40 and recorded 25 assists. Those numbers helped turn a close series into a one-sided Game 6 result by the final buzzer. ### What went wrong for Cleveland in the closeout game? (nba.com) Cleveland got 23 points from James Harden, but the rest of the offense stalled. Donovan Mitchell scored 18 points on 6-for-20 shooting, Evan Mobley had 18 points, and Jarrett Allen added 13, yet the Cavaliers finished with 30 made field goals and 12 made 3-pointers. (nba.com) The Cavaliers also lost the turnover battle. Cleveland committed 20 turnovers to Detroit’s 17, and several of the team’s main scorers finished with negative plus-minus figures in a game that got away in the second half. Mitchell was minus-25, and Mobley was minus-24, according to the NBA box score. ### Who were the key players in the box score? (nba.com) Cunningham remains Detroit’s top scorer in the series at 25.7 points per game, according to the NBA’s series page. Duren’s Game 6 line stood out because it paired interior scoring with 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Ausar Thompson added 10 points, nine rebounds and four steals. (nba.com) Mitchell entered Game 7 as Cleveland’s leading scorer in the series at 28.5 points per game. The Cavaliers still have frontcourt production from Mobley and Allen, but their Game 6 shooting dip and turnover total left them short of a series-clinching win. ### What does the series setup look like now? The NBA’s playoff bracket lists the matchup as tied 3-3, with Detroit as the No. 1 seed and Cleveland as the No. 4 seed in the East semifinals. (nba.com) The winner will move on from a series that has swung repeatedly, with Detroit taking the first two games, Cleveland winning the next three, and the Pistons answering in Game 6. The NBA series page also shows Detroit hosting the final game. That gives the Pistons home court for the deciding matchup after winning twice in Cleveland earlier in the series and losing Game 5 in overtime. ### When is Game 7 and where can fans watch it? Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, at 8:00 p.m. ET in Detroit, according to the NBA playoff schedule page. (nba.com) The listed broadcaster is Prime Video. Prime Video’s NBA page lists Cavaliers vs. Pistons as an upcoming game on Sunday evening. The Eastern Conference finalist from this series will be determined that night, with one team advancing and the other eliminated. (nba.com) (primevideo.com)