CLEVELAND – In their first road game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Detroit Pistons couldn’t lock down defensively or take care of the ball. It proved costly in the end.
So much for a sweep.
The Pistons fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 116-109, in Game 3 at Rocket Arena on Saturday, May 9, to narrow their series lead to 2-1. A triple-double from Cade Cunningham (27 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds) wasn’t enough to overcome a Cavaliers team that shot 58.1%. Or to overcome Donovan Mitchell, who turned in a game-high 35 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pistons still have a series lead, with Game 4 set for Monday night in Cleveland before the series returns to Detroit for a Game 5 on Wednesday night, with the time yet to be announced.
Cunningham was responsible for eight of the Pistons’ 15 turnovers, and committed three in the final two-and-a-half minutes with the game on the line. Those eight giveaways are tied for third-most in a playoff triple-double, trailing only Magic Johnson’s 10 in the 1980 NBA Finals and nine apiece by LeBron James, James Harden and Joel Embiid in the 2010, 2017 and 2024 postseasons, respectively.
It was a back-and-forth game for much of the fourth quarter, but a bad inbounds pass from Cunningham led to a fastbreak layup for Max Strus with 2:28 remaining. Cunningham turned the ball over on their following two offensive possessions, and a midrange jumper from Harden made it a two-possession Cavaliers lead at the 58-second mark.
Cunningham hit two big shots in the final minute and a half – a fastbreak dunk, followed by a pull-up 3-pointer at the 49.7-second mark to make it a one-point game, 110-109. But Harden hit the clinching 3 over Tobias Harris with 25.9 ticks on the clock, and Duncan Robinson’s ensuing 3-point attempt didn’t fall. Mitchell iced the game by knocking down three of his last four 3-pointers.
Harris scored 21 points in his eighth straight game reaching the 20-point threshold. Harden finished with 19 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers.
The Pistons’ big rally
The Pistons rallied from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter, aided by the Cavs’ cold shooting stretch after a hot first half. Cleveland took its biggest lead of the game, 65-48, with Jarrett Allen’s split trip to the line opening the third.
A 28-9 Pistons run followed, capped with a putback dunk by Paul Reed with 2:30 on the clock to retake the lead, 76-74. Defense led the way – the Pistons forced five Cavaliers turnovers and caused them to miss eight of their first 12 shots in the third.
Cleveland shot 2-for-11 from 3 in the period as Cunningham led the run. A pullup midrange jumper cut the deficit to three, 74-71, and Cunningham then locked down Mitchell on the other end to force a steal. With 3:05 on the clock, Cunningham finished a layup through contact and completed the three-point play to tie the game at 74.
The first half, comfortably, was the Pistons’ worst opening 24 minutes since they trailed by 22 points at halftime of Game 6 against the Orlando Magic. The shooting splits tell the story – they knocked down just 37.5% (18-for-48) of their attempts. The Cavaliers shot a scorching 66.7% overall, led by 20 points from Mitchell on 8-for-12 shooting.
After forcing four Cavaliers turnovers in the first three minutes of the game, the Pistons lost their defense edge. They committed 12 personal fouls in the second quarter as they were outscored 32-18, allowing the Cavaliers to take a 64-48 lead into halftime. The Pistons also missed 13-consecutive 3-pointers after Cunningham got one to fall at the 10:20 mark of the 1st quarter.
Pistons break the Paul Reed emergency glass
The Pistons’ top two centers, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, collectively had one of their worst performances of the postseason. They combined for just four rebounds in the first half and gave up a virtual layup line at the rim. Midway through the third quarter, coach J.B. Bickerstaff subbed Reed in for Duren.
Reed, per usual, was extremely active and sparked the Pistons on both ends. He scored seven points during a 2:28 stretch in the fourth, capped by a pair of free throws to bring the Pistons to within three, 99-96.
It was the second time in a week Reed delivered big second-half minutes, after helping them complete a 24-point comeback in the Game 6 against the Magic. He played most of the fourth until Duren replaced him with 4:32 remaining.
Pistons vs Cavaliers schedule, scores in playoff series
Here are the Pistons vs. Cavs scores and schedule for the playoff series in the Eastern Conference semifinals:
Who will Pistons-Cavaliers winner play in next round?
The winner of the series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons will play either the New York Knicks or Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks hold a 3-0 lead in the series, with Game 4 set for Sunday (3:30 p.m., ABC).
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons deliver another epic rally, but fail to finish Game 3
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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