DETROIT — After a second-half comeback came up short in the series opener, the Cleveland Cavaliers again failed to finish strong and fell 107-97 to the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 on Thursday, May 7.
The top-seeded Pistons won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals 111-101 on May 5 as turnovers and center Jarrett Allen’s foul trouble plagued the fourth-seeded Cavs. In Game 2, the Cavs battled back to take the lead with 10:19 left in the fourth quarter, but the Pistons regained control and never relinquished it. Now the Cavs trail 2-0 in the best-of-seven second-round playoff series. Game 3 is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
Here is how Game 2 unfolded through our updates:
Cavs lose 107-97 to Pistons in Game 2
With 22.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Cavs trying to pull off a miraculous comeback, Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham drew a foul and made two free throws to give the Pistons a 107-97 lead.
Cunningham led the Pistons with 25 points and 10 assists. Forward Tobias Harris had 21 points and guard Duncan Robinson 17 points for Detroit.
Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 31 points. Center Jarrett Allen posted 22 points and seven rebounds. Point guard James Harden finished with 10 points. Forward Evan Mobley had nine points and just one rebound.
Detroit Pistons lead Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 with 26.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Game 2
Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham drained a stepback 3-pointer over small forward Max Strus, giving Detroit a 101-92 lead with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter.
With 52.5 seconds left, the Pistons had a shot clock violation while ahead 103-97. Small forward Ausar Thompson made a 3-pointer at the end of the possession, but he didn’t get the shot off before the shot clock expired.
Then, with 33 seconds left, Cavs point guard James Harden lost control of the ball while trying to create offense, and Thompson stole it.
With 26.8 seconds remaining, center Jalen Duren made two free throws to give the Pistons a 105-97 cushion.
Cavs trail Pistons 98-92 with 2:43 remaining in the fourth quarter
Pistons forward Tobias Harris has been tormenting the Cavs in Game 2. His fadeaway jump shot with 3:13 left in the fourth quarter gave the Pistons a 98-91 lead.
With 3:01 remaining, Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell split two free throws, and Cleveland trailed 98-92. The score remained the same during a timeout with 2:43 left.
Detroit Pistons lead Cleveland Cavaliers 96-91 with 3:26 left in the fourth quarter of Game 2
The Pistons led the Cavs 96-91 with 3:26 left in the fourth quarter.
After Cavs forward Evan Mobley missed a wide-open 3-pointer for a would-be tie score, the Pistons drew a foul on the next possession. Point guard Cade Cunningham made two free throws, and Detroit went ahead 96-91.
Cavs trail Pistons 94-89 with 5:14 left in the fourth quarter
The Cavs will need to finish stronger than they did in Game 1 if they’re going to rally for a comeback.
The Pistons led the Cavs 94-89 with 5:14 remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham made a 3-pointer and another jump to push the Pistons to the five-point cushion.
Pistons regain lead and have 86-83 edge over Cavs with 7:36 left in the fourth quarter
The Pistons fired back after falling behind with 10:19 left in the fourth quarter and held an 86-83 lead with 7:36 remaining.
Pistons forward Tobias Harris tied the score 81-81 with a jump shot and later extended Detroit’s lead to 86-83 with a shot in the paint after Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell made a floater.
At this juncture, Harris had four of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Cavaliers produce 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter and capture 81-79 lead vs. Pistons with 10:19 left
The Cavs went on a 6-0 run to begin the fourth quarter and seized their first lead since they were ahead 3-0 early in the first quarter.
The Cavs led the Pistons 81-79 when wing Jaylon Tyson drove for a layup on a possession kept alive by point guard Dennis Schroder’s offensive rebound, guard Donovan Mitchell had a putback on his own missed floater and forward Evan Mobley dunked on an assist from Schroder. The Mobley dunk with 10:19 left in the fourth quarter gave the Cavs their first lead since the beginning of Game 2.
Pistons lead Cavs entering fourth quarter of Game 2
The Cavs closed the deficit to just one point before Daniss Jenkins buried a 3 at the third-quarter buzzer, and the Pistons will enter the fourth quarter leading 79-75.
That was certainly a step in the right direction for the Cavs, who were led by Donovan Mitchell’s 11 points in the quarter. He’s now up to 23 points tonight. Jarrett Allen, who was a non-factor in Game 1 due to foul trouble, has 14 points, six rebounds and three assists so far.
Cavs make it 3-point game in Game 3 vs Pistons
Donovan Mitchell is starting to heat up, and the Cavs are within one possession, now down 69-66 with 3:17 left in the third quarter.
Mitchell buried a corner 3 and then banked in a 3 at the shot clock buzzer. After the second 3-pointer, Mitchell first-pumped in a pretty animated way as the Cavs try to claw their way back.
Cavaliers, Pistons Game 2 score
The Cavs trail Detroit 62-56 with 7:10 left in the third quarter, cutting it to a two-possession game.
Cleveland came out of halftime with a bit more energy on offense. Donovan Mitchell, who might have to try to take this game over if the Cavs have a chance, has five points in the quarter already.
Ausar Thompson commits fourth foul early in third quarter of Game 2
Ausar Thompson has picked up his fourth foul only a few possessions into the third quarter, and he’ll have to again head for the bench. That’s a rough blow for the Pistons defense, and it might give the Cavs a small opening to mount a comeback.
What is the score of the Cavs game at halftime?
The Cavs will enter the second half trailing the Pistons 54-43.
Cleveland is just 3-for-14 shooting from 3-point range. Donovan Mitchell has 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting and made a floater at the first-half buzzer.
Kenny Atkinson has emphasized winning the possession game by leading the turnover and rebounding battles. At the half, the Cavs are losing both turnovers (9-7) and rebounds (20-16).
While the Cavs trail, they have held Cade Cunningham in check thus far, as he has only five points at the half, though he does have six assists. Daniss Jenkins has a game-high 11 points off the bench. The Pistons are 7-for-15 shooting from 3-point range.
Pistons lead by double digits Cavs in Game 2
The Cavs trail the Pistons 49-38 with 1:30 left in the first half in Game 2.
The Cavs have hit just two of their 12 3-point attempts thus far.
Daniss Jenkins is having a really nice night for Detroit with 11 points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench.
Detroit is simply acting as the aggressor yet again, playing with more physicality and energy than Cleveland.
Pretty much everyone on the Cavs’ roster looks uncomfortable right now, but nobody more than James Harden, who is drawing “Harden sucks” chants from the Detroit crowd. He’s 2-for-10 shooting from the floor with three turnovers.
Who’s winning Cavs-Pistons Game 2?
The Pistons lead the Cavs 36-29 with 6:43 left in the first half.
Cleveland is losing the turnover battle 8-4. That’s been one of Kenny Atkinson’s biggest messages in the playoffs, but first-half turnover issues keep following the Cavs. James Harden has three of those turnovers.
Of note, Ausar Thompson, the Pistons’ all-world defensive specialist, has three personal fouls and will need to sit for a bit.
Donovan Mitchell has 10 points. Jaylon Tyson has had a productive night with five points and four rebounds early on.
Donovan Mitchell potential injury
Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell came up hobbling a bit after driving to the basket. He’s remaining in the game, but he was down for a few moments and was in some obvious pain. Replays show he might have stepped oddly, with his right ankle extending a bit.
The Pistons lead 28-22 with 10:22 left.
Cavaliers trail Pistons 25-18 at the end of the first quarter
The Cavs trailed the Pistons 25-18 at the end of the first quarter, and it could have been a lot worse for Cleveland.
For the vast majority of the opening quarter, the Cavs looked as if they were a boxer absorbing jab after jab after jab to the chin with far fewer counters to give the Pistons.
The Cavs trailed 25-14 until they closed the quarter with two free throws by guard Donovan Mitchell with 49 seconds remaining and a dunk by forward Evan Mobley on an assist from point guard Dennis Schroder with 30.9 seconds left.
Mitchell paced the Cavs with eight points in the first quarter. Pistons small forward Ausar Thompson led Detroit with eight points in the opening quarter.
The Cavs lost the turnover battle 6-4 in the first quarter but outrebounded the Pistons 9-7.
Tobias Harris shaken up as Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell cuts deficit to 14-11
Guard Donovan Mitchell drove for consecutive baskets, cutting the Cavs’ deficit to 14-11 with 6:54 left in the first quarter.
On the second Mitchell drive, which he finished with a floater, Pistons forward Tobias Harris was shaken up. As Harris guarded Mitchell, Harris fell and grabbed his left hip and quadriceps area. Harris remained in the game following a timeout with 6:54 remaining.
Turnovers are already hurting Cavs in Game 2 vs. Pistons
The Cavs had three turnovers in less than the first three minutes of Game 2 and trailed 12-5 during a timeout with 9:18 left in the first quarter.
Forward Evan Mobley committed two early turnovers, and center Jarrett Allen committed one.
Pistons guard Duncan Robinson stole a pass from Allen and immediately made an open 3-pointer to give Detroit a 10-5 lead. Then Robinson stole a pass from Mobley and turned the opportunity into a fast-break layup and a 12-5 lead.
In case you have not heard, turnovers have been a huge problem for the Cavs throughout this postseason.
Below is some pregame information.
Where to watch Cavs game tonight: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons Game 2 TV, streaming and radio info
Game 2 between the Cavs and Pistons will be televised nationally by Prime Video. The local radio broadcast can be heard via WTAM (1100-AM) or WMMS (100.7-FM).
Cavs injury report for Game 2 vs Pistons
The Cavs have ruled out backup shooting guard Sam Merrill for Game 2 with a left hamstring strain.
Cavs starting lineup vs Pistons in Game 2
The Cavs are going with the same starting lineup as they did in Game 1.
Pistons vs Cavs Game 2 injury report
The Pistons ruled out backup wing Kevin Huerter (left abductor strain) for Game 2 shortly before tipoff after initially listing him as doubtful. Huerter was inactive in Game 1 against the Cavs and for the final three games of the Pistons’ 4-3 first-round series win over the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic.
Pistons starting lineup vs. Cavaliers in Game 2
The Pistons will use the same starting lineup for Game 2 as the one they used in Game 1.
Cavs playoff schedule. When does Cavaliers-Pistons series start?
Here is all of the scheduling information the NBA has announced thus far about the Cavs-Pistons series in the Eastern Conference semifinals:
Eastern Conference playoff bracket 2026
Here are the second-round matchups:
Here are the first-round results:
Cleveland Cavaliers playoff history during their Donovan Mitchell era
This is the fourth consecutive season the Cavs have made the playoffs.
Here are the results from their previous three playoff appearances, all of which have occurred since the Cavs traded for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in 2022:
The Akron Beacon Journal sports department can be contacted via email at bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs score last night. Pistons pull away again, win Game 2
Reporting by Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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