Cavaliers-Pistons series set for decisive Game 7

The Detroit Pistons extended their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 115-94 road win on Friday, forcing a Game 7 after Cleveland entered the night with a 3-2 lead. The NBA’s playoff bracket now lists the series as tied 3-3, with the deciding game scheduled for Sunday, May 17, at 8:00 p.m. ET in Detroit. The result completed another swing in a series that opened with two Detroit wins, shifted when Cleveland won three straight, and now returns to Little Caesars Arena for the final game. The winner will advance to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, according to the NBA playoff bracket. ### How did this series get to a seventh game? (nba.com) Detroit opened the matchup by beating Cleveland 111-101 in Game 1 on May 5 and 107-97 in Game 2 on May 7, taking a 2-0 lead at home. ESPN’s game summaries show Cade Cunningham scored 23 points in Game 1 and added 25 points with 10 assists in Game 2. Cleveland reversed the series once it got home. (nba.com) The Cavaliers won Game 3, 116-109, on May 9 behind 35 points from Donovan Mitchell, then evened the series in Game 4 before taking Game 5 in overtime, 117-113, on May 13. NBA.com’s Game 5 summary said the Cavaliers’ overtime win gave them a 3-2 series lead heading back to Cleveland. (espn.com) Friday’s Game 6 stopped that run. NBA.com said Detroit’s 115-94 win tied the series and sent it back home for the decider. ### Who drove Detroit’s Game 6 win? Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 21 points in Game 6, and Jalen Duren added 15 points and 11 rebounds, according to NBA.com’s series page. The league’s playoff coverage described the Pistons as getting major bench support in the win. (espn.com) Sporting News’ live recap, which matched the final score on NBA.com, reported that Detroit shot 52% from the field, made 16 of 36 three-point attempts and outscored Cleveland 48-26 in the paint. (nba.com) That recap also said two Detroit reserves combined for 31 points. James Harden scored 23 points for Cleveland in Game 6, while Donovan Mitchell finished with 18 points on 6-of-20 shooting, according to Sporting News’ play-by-play recap. Cleveland scored 94 points, its lowest total of the series. (sportingnews.com) ### What do the series numbers look like entering Game 7? NBA.com’s series page lists Detroit averaging 109.7 points per game and Cleveland averaging 106.2 through six games. The same page lists Cunningham as Detroit’s leading scorer at 25.7 points per game and Mitchell as Cleveland’s leader at 28.5. The regular-season records underscore the matchup’s shape. (sportingnews.com) Detroit entered the playoffs as the East’s No. 1 seed at 60-22, while Cleveland was listed as the No. 4 seed at 52-30. ### Where and when is Game 7? Game 7 will be played in Detroit on Sunday, May 17, at 8:00 p.m. ET, according to NBA.com’s series page and league schedule. The schedule lists Cleveland at Detroit for the deciding game. (nba.com) The next round is already set on the other side of the bracket. The NBA playoff page shows the New York Knicks waiting in the Eastern Conference finals for the winner of Cavaliers-Pistons. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)