Cavaliers Rally to Beat Pistons in Overtime, Take 3-2 Series Lead

The Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final minutes of regulation to defeat the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime on Wednesday night and take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. James Harden scored a playoff-best 30 points with eight rebounds and six assists while Donovan Mitchell added 21 points, including seven in overtime.

Max Strus contributed 20 points and eight rebounds and Evan Mobley posted 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who won their first road playoff game this postseason after dropping their previous five. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 39 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while Daniss Jenkins added 19 points.

The Pistons turned 17 Cleveland turnovers into 27 points but still fell short after leading 103-94 with just over two minutes remaining in regulation. Cleveland took control early in overtime, scoring nine of the first 11 points to build a 112-105 lead.

Cunningham's jumper brought Detroit within 113-111 with 25.9 seconds left, but the Cavaliers sealed the victory at the free-throw line as Harden and Mobley combined to make four of six foul shots in the closing seconds.

The Pistons built a 15-point lead in the second quarter and held a 60-52 halftime advantage after forcing 10 turnovers that produced 20 points. Detroit responded to an early fourth-quarter Cleveland lead with a 15-2 run to go up 100-91 with under four minutes to play.

Cleveland missed its first nine shots of the fourth quarter before mounting a late rally, tying the game at 103-103 on Mobley's two free throws with 45.2 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers could not get a shot off on their final possession of regulation, sending the contest to overtime.

The Pistons played without a starting guard who was sidelined by lower back soreness. Their defense limited Mitchell's offensive output for much of the night, but other Cleveland players stepped up to secure the victory.

“You hope it propels us.”

You hope it galvanises us. You hope we carry it forward. " — Kenny Atkinson, May 13, 2026 (The Guardian) Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said his team must find ways to counter Cleveland's strategy of doubling Cunningham and forcing the ball out of his hands.

>"You’re going to have to choke the life out of this team. " — J.B. Bickerstaff, May 13, 2026 (New York Post) The Pistons had previously overcome a 3-1 deficit against another Eastern Conference opponent earlier in these playoffs to advance for the first time since 2008.

6 is scheduled for Friday night in Cleveland.

A Cavaliers win would advance them to the Eastern Conference finals while a Pistons victory would force a Game 7 back in Detroit on Sunday. Harden described the win as a team effort after Mitchell struggled offensively for stretches. Strus said the road victory, the first in the playoffs for Cleveland this year, provided a foundation to build upon.

Cunningham acknowledged the importance of protecting home court and the challenge now facing his team but pointed to their prior resilience when backs were against the wall.