Detroit — Tobias Harris (13 points) made a mid-range jumper, giving the Detroit Pistons a 103-94 lead with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. For the second consecutive game, the Pistons appeared to be on the verge of a victory. However, for the second straight night, the Cleveland Cavaliers embarked on a run that ultimately proved detrimental.
The Cavaliers rallied in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter by responding with a 9-0 run to tie the game at 103-103, sending the game into overtime. Their run extended to 13 during the first few minutes of overtime, which was enough to hand the Pistons a 117-113 Game 5 loss, Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena.
The Pistons now trail 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, as the series shifts back to Cleveland for Game 6 on Friday.
The Cavaliers held an 89-85 lead with 9:40 remaining in the fourth quarter when the Pistons began to elevate their performance on both ends. They launched a 10-point run, taking a 95-89 lead with 5:25 left in the game.
BOX SCORE: Cavaliers 117, Pistons 113 (OT)
During the stretch, the Pistons forced the Cavaliers into three consecutive turnovers, returning to the defensive play that once gave them early control in the best-of-seven series.
Cade Cunningham led the Detroit Pistons with 39 points, shooting 13-of-27 from the field, along with nine assists and six rebounds. However, he came up huge for Detroit in the fourth by scoring eight points.
Outside of the All-NBA guard, the team’s offensive production was limited. Daniss Jenkins started in place of Duncan Robinson, who was sidelined due to low back soreness. Jenkins contributed 19 points.
After pouring in 43 points in Game 4, the Pistons limited Donovan Mitchell to 21 points, with seven coming in overtime. James Harden led the Cavaliers with 30 points.
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Stunning collapse: Pistons fall to Cavs in OT, trail series 3-2
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
