Pistons force Game 7 vs 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. NBA.com listed the series as tied 3-3 after Detroit's victory at Rocket Arena, with Game 7 set for Sunday, May 17. Cade Cunningham scored 21 points, Jalen Duren added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Detroit's reserves outscored Cleveland's bench 48-19. The result pushed Detroit into another elimination-game response. NBA.com's recap said the Pistons have won four games this postseason while facing elimination, including the close of a 3-1 first-round comeback against Orlando. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters after Game 6 that "the defense and the physicality" carried Detroit when it was at its best. (nba.com) ### How decisive was Detroit's Game 6 win? Detroit won by 21 points, and NBA.com said the margin tied a 66-year-old playoff record for the largest Game 6 road win by a team trailing 3-2 in a series. The site said the only previous instance came in 1960, when the St. Louis Hawks beat the Minneapolis Lakers 117-96 in the West Division finals. (nba.com) The Pistons took control after halftime. NBA.com said Cunningham made five 3-pointers, Duncan Robinson returned from a lower back injury to score 14 points off the bench, and Detroit finished 16-for-36 from beyond the arc. ### Which players set the tone for Detroit? Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 21 points in Game 6, according to NBA.com, after scoring 39 points in Detroit's overtime loss in Game 5 two days earlier. (nba.com) Basketball-Reference listed Cunningham as the series leader in points and assists through six games. Jalen Duren posted 15 points and 11 rebounds on Friday, and Yahoo Sports said Daniss Jenkins also scored 15 while Ausar Thompson added 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals before fouling out. (nba.com) Paul Reed scored 17 points off the bench, giving Detroit another scoring source beyond Cunningham. ### What happened to Cleveland after taking a 3-2 lead? (nba.com) Cleveland entered Friday with a chance to close the series after a 117-113 overtime win in Game 5 on May 13. Basketball-Reference's series page shows the Cavaliers recovered from an 0-2 deficit by winning Games 3, 4 and 5 before dropping Game 6 at home. (nba.com) Friday's loss was Cleveland's first home defeat of the 2026 playoffs, according to Yahoo Sports. Donovan Mitchell scored early in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers tried to rally, but Detroit's lead remained in double digits throughout the period, according to the game feed carried by Fox Sports. (basketball-reference.com) ### Where is Game 7, and when is it scheduled? NBA.com's game page listed Game 7 for Sunday, May 17, at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The same page identified the matchup as the deciding game of the East semifinal series after Friday's result tied it at three games apiece. The Cavaliers' official schedule page showed Sunday's game in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena. (sports.yahoo.com) The winner will advance out of the series after a matchup that has swung from Detroit's 2-0 start to Cleveland's three straight wins and now a final game on Sunday night. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)