Cavaliers take 3-2 series lead with Game 5 win over Pistons

The Cleveland Cavaliers moved within one win of the Eastern Conference finals after beating the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime on Wednesday, May 13, in Game 5 of their semifinal series. NBA.com said Cleveland leads the series 3-2 after rallying from a 103-94 deficit with just over two minutes left in regulation. (nba.com) James Harden scored 30 points and Donovan Mitchell added 21 for Cleveland, while Cade Cunningham finished with 39 points and nine assists for Detroit. The comeback turned on Cleveland’s defense and late execution. (nba.com) NBA.com said the Cavaliers closed regulation and the start of overtime on a 13-0 run, holding Detroit scoreless for five minutes from late in the fourth quarter into the extra period. Evan Mobley tied the game at 103 on free throws with 45.2 seconds left in regulation, and Mitchell’s 3-pointer put Cleveland ahead by seven with 2:39 left in overtime. ### How did Cleveland get out of a nine-point hole late? Detroit led by 15 points in the first half and still held a 103-94 advantage with a little more than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, according to NBA.com. (nba.com) Cleveland erased that margin without allowing a point, forcing overtime and then extending the same run into the extra session. Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland’s coach, said the sequence reflected his team’s poise under pressure. “That stretch right there says a lot about our progress - mental performance progress and mental toughness progress,” Atkinson said, according to NBA.com. (nba.com) ### What decided the game in overtime? Mitchell’s late 3-pointer gave Cleveland a seven-point cushion with 2:39 remaining in overtime, NBA.com said. Cunningham answered with a jumper to cut the lead to two with 25 seconds left, but Harden helped finish the game at the foul line and grabbed his own missed free throw on the same possession. (nba.com) Harden’s 30 points were a playoff high for him, according to the AP game report carried on NBA.com. Mitchell scored 21, and the Cavaliers got enough stops to complete their third straight win in the series after dropping the first two games. (nba.com) ### What was Detroit upset about at the end of regulation? Jarrett Allen and Ausar Thompson got tangled up just before the buzzer in regulation, and no foul was called, NBA.com said. The non-call came on the final loose-ball sequence before overtime. (nba.com) J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit’s coach, disputed the play afterward. “He fouled Ausar - clearly,” Bickerstaff said, according to NBA.com. “He tripped him when he was going for a loose ball.” ### Who were the main performers on each side? (nba.com) Cunningham led Detroit with 39 points and nine assists, according to NBA.com. His scoring kept the Pistons in front for most of the night and briefly brought them back within two in the final half-minute of overtime. Cleveland’s scoring was more spread out. (nba.com) Harden had 30 points, Mitchell scored 21, and Max Strus added 20, NBA.com said. Mobley’s late free throws were the play that forced overtime, and Allen was involved in the final defensive sequence of regulation. ### What happens next in the series? Game 6 is set for Friday, May 15, at 7 p.m. ET, and NBA.com lists Cleveland as the host site for the next game. The winner of the series will face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, according to NBA.com’s game summary page. (nba.com) If Detroit wins Game 6, Game 7 would be Sunday, May 17.