CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers evened up their season series with the Detroit Pistons, who have the best record in the Eastern Conference under former Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff, via a 113-109 win March 3 at Rocket Arena.
The banged-up Cavs improved to 2-2 against the Pistons in their final 2025-26 regular-season meeting with Detroit. In the previous three matchups, the Cavs won 116-95 on Oct. 27 but lost 114-110 on Jan. 4 and 122-119 in overtime on Feb. 27.
Tip-off between the Eastern Conference Central Division rival Cavs (39-24) and Pistons (45-15) occurred shortly after 7 p.m. Here’s how the game unfolded through our updates:
Cavaliers beat the Pistons
The Cavs have beaten the Pistons 113-109.
Dennis Schroder had it stolen from him a second time, which momentarily made it a one-possession game. Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson bailed Schroder out, as Merrill hit Tyson with a deep pass. Tyson was fouled and hit one of the two free throw attempts to finally put the game away.
Tyson finished with a team-high 22 points, three rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Evan Mobley had 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. James Harden had a rough night from an efficiency standpoint but did total 18 points, five rebounds and seven assists in the win.
Cade Cunningham was held to only two points on 0-for-5 shooting in the second half.
Who’s winning the Cavs-Pistons game?
After a Dennis Schroder bucket to make it a five-point Cavs lead, Jalen Duren couldn’t handle a pass right under the rim, which eventually led to a James Harden layup to just about put Detroit away.
Dennis Schroder, while trying to dribble out about half the remaining clock, did run into a double team, which led to an Ausar Thompson steal and dunk to make it 112-107 with 21.5 seconds left.
Sam Merrill hits a 3, Cavs lead Pistons in final two minutes
A Jalen Duren dunk momentarily brought the Pistons to within one point of the Cavs before Sam Merrill buried a 3 to again push out Cleveland’s advantage.
Duren then got a layup to fall, which led to Evan Mobley being fouled at the rim at the other end. He made one of two, putting the Cavs up 108-105 with 1:40 left.
Jaylon Tyson surpasses 20-point threshold, Cavs lead Pistons in fourth
Jaylon Tyson has made a massive impact on this game and is now up to 21 points, three rebounds, four assists and two blocks, as the Cavs have a 101-96 lead with 6:02 left in the fourth quarter.
With no Mitchell, no Dean Wade and now no Allen, it has been Tyson more than anyone else who has filled the gaps.
James Harden has had a rougher game, as he’s now 4-for-13 from the floor with five turnovers.
Cavs, Pistons score heading into fourth quarter
The Cavaliers will take an 89-80 lead into the fourth quarter.
Craig Porter Jr. had a productive third quarter off the bench with seven points on 3-for-4 shooting. Dennis Schroder had six points, three rebounds and two assists in that quarter alone.
Though nobody on the floor had a better third quarter than Detroit’s Tobias Harris, who went scoreless in the first half before pouring in 17 points in the third quarter alone, which much of it coming at the free throw line in a workman-like nine minutes.
Jarrett Allen injury update
Cavs center Jarrett Allen has sustained a right knee injury and is doubtful to return, according to an update provided by the team.
Allen has eight points and three rebounds in 20 minutes on the floor tonight. He checked out of the game with 7:32 left in the third quarter.
Cavs holding small lead over Pistons in third quarter
The Cavs and Pistons are trading punches, and Cleveland has a 73-70 lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
With no Donovan Mitchell on the floor, Jaylon Tyson has a team-high 15 points, with James Harden and Evan Mobley both sitting at 12 points each.
The Cavs have hit 33 percent of their 3s (11-for-33). The Pistons have attempted only 16 3s, but they’ve hit eight of them.
Cavs lead Pistons 54-48 at halftime
The Cavs held a 54-48 advantage over the Pistons at halftime.
Wing Jaylon Tyson led the Cavs with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field (2 of 4 on 3-pointers) in the first half. Point guard James Harden had 10 points. Forward Evan Mobley added nine points, four rebounds and four assists.
Center Jalen Duren paced the Pistons with nine points. Guard Cade Cunningham and forward Ausar Thompson contributed eight and seven points, respectively, with Cunningham dishing out six assists and Thompson grabbing six rebounds.
The Cavs went 20-of-48 shooting (41.7%) from the field, including 7 of 25 on 3-pointers (28%). The Pistons went 18-of-41 shooting (43.9%) from the floor, including 6 of 12 on 3s (50%).
The Cavs outscored the Pistons 29-21 in the second quarter after trailing 27-25 at the end of the first quarter.
Pistons trail Cavaliers 48-40 with 4:16 left in the second quarter
The Cavs led the Pistons 48-40 during a replay review with 4:16 left in the second quarter.
Guard Sam Merrill made a wide-open 3-pointer with 5:58 remaining on an assist from point guard James Harden to give the Cavs their largest lead, 48-38. On the ensuing possession, Cavs wing Jaylon Tyson blocked a shot by Pistons forward Ausar Thompson, forcing a shot-clock violation by Detroit.
As for the aforementioned review, the Cavs won a challenge after guard Keon Ellis had been whistled for a foul during a layup try by Pistons center Jalen Duren.
Cavs lead Pistons 35-32 early in the second quarter
The Cavs outscored the Pistons 10-5 to begin the second quarter and led 35-32 with 9:47 left in the first half.
Cavs forward Evan Mobley posted up against former Cleveland teammate Javonte Green, executed a smooth spin move and dunked to give the Cavs the three-point lead. A Pistons timeout ensued.
Center Thomas Bryant and wing Jaylon Tyson made 3-pointers during the Cavs’ early quarter scoring outburst.
Pistons lead Cavaliers after first quarter
The Pistons went on a nice run to end the first quarter and lead the Cavs 27-25 entering the second quarter.
In the final minute of the quarter, Ron Holland drilled a 3 to give Detroit a lead, and a Craig Porter Jr. 3 at the quarter buzzer came up short.
James Harden leads the Cavs with seven points on 3-for-5 shooting. Jaylon Tyson, also 3-for-5 from the floor, has six points.
Cleveland is shooting just 10 percent (1-for-10) from 3-point range.
Cavaliers, Pistons in defensive battle
The Cavs lead the Pistons 21-17 with 2:40 left in the first quarter, as both offenses are struggling to string some baskets together.
Prior to the game, coach Kenny Atkinson discussed Keon Ellis’ defensive impact. Perhaps the highlight thus far was started and finished by Ellis, as he deflected a Pistons pass to James Harden, who then threw it ahead to Ellis for a layup.
Cavs, Pistons score: Cleveland opens with 9-2 run
The Cavs have opened up a quick 9-2 advantage, leading to a quick timeout by Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Cleveland has opened 4-for-6 from the floor, including a 3 from the top of the key by James Harden that led to the timeout.
Jaylon Tyson also took an elbow from Jalen Duren but appears to be fine.
Below is some pregame information.
Cleveland Cavaliers injury report vs. Detroit Pistons
The Cavs ruled out All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell (right groin strain) and small forward Max Strus (offseason foot surgery). They also ruled out forward Dean Wade (right ankle sprain) after initially listing him as questionable to face the Pistons.
Mitchell will miss his fourth consecutive game, but Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said Mitchell would face the Pistons if it were a playoff game. Strus has yet to play this season. Wade will miss his third game in a row.
Max Strus injury update
On March 3, the Cavs provided the following injury update about Strus:
Cavaliers guard/forward Max Strus continues his recovery following offseason surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot. Recent imaging has shown progressive healing, and in consultation with Dr. David Porter and team physician Dr. James Rosneck, Strus has progressed to individual on-court workouts as part of a structured ramp-up program.
The program will include controlled team activities and practice sessions with both the Cavaliers and the Cleveland Charge, the team’s NBA G League affiliate.
Strus will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning under the supervision of the Cavaliers’ medical and performance staff, with ongoing evaluation. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
Atkinson has said he expects Strus to return to game action during the 2025-26 regular season.
Pistons injury report vs. Cavs
The Pistons did not list any players with injuries.
However, there is a noteworthy Pistons development regarding availability. Center Isaiah Stewart is expected to face the Cavs. It would be his return from a seven-game suspension for fighting.
Cavs starters vs. Pistons
The Cavs announced the following players will start against the Pistons:
Pistons starters vs. Cavaliers
The Pistons announced the following players will start against the Cavs:
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham named Eastern Conference Player of the Month over Cavs center Jarrett Allen and others
On March 3, the NBA named Pistons guard Cade Cunningham the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in February.
Cavs center Jarrett Allen was nominated for the honor along with Desmond Bane (Orlando Magic), Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks), Brandon Ingram (Toronto Raptors), Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets) and Ryan Rollins (Milwaukee Bucks).
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month over Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff and others
On March 3, the NBA named Atkinson the NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in February. It’s the third time Atkinson has received coach of the month accolades in his career, all with the Cavs. He is just the third coach in franchise history to win coach of the month on three or more occasions, joining Mike Brown (five times) and the late Lenny Wilkens (three times).
Bickerstaff was nominated for the award along with Mike Brown (Knicks), Charles Lee (Hornets) and Joe Mazzulla (Celtics).
Cavs roster moves
The Cavs waived guard Darius Brown, who had been on a two-way contract, and agreed to a two-way contract with center Olivier Sarr, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype reported.
Cleveland Cavaliers game on TV. How can I watch, stream and listen to Cavs vs Pistons tonight?
The March 3 game between the Cavs and Pistons will be televised locally by WUAB Channel 43 and FanDuel Sports Network — Ohio. The local radio broadcast can be heard via WTAM (1100-AM) or WMMS (100.7-FM).
Ryan Lewis covers the Cleveland Cavaliers and Guardians for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs score, recap vs Pistons as Cleveland evens up season series
Reporting by Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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