The Detroit Pistons are now facing elimination after dropping Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Detroit lost 117-113 in overtime at Little Caesars Arena after surrendering a late fourth-quarter lead. The Cavaliers now hold a 3-2 advantage in the best-of-seven series and will return home for Game 6 with a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks.
Pistons star Cade Cunningham delivered another strong playoff performance with 39 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, but Detroit struggled offensively late in the game. Cleveland closed regulation on a 9-0 run before outscoring the Pistons in overtime to complete the comeback.
After the loss, Cunningham acknowledged the challenge ahead while remaining confident in Detroit’s ability to respond on the road.
“Yeah, I mean, tonight was tough,” Cunningham said. “Tough loss, obviously, we wanted to protect our home court. We failed to do that.”
“It’s first four wins, though … We’ve had our back against the wall before. At the end of the day, if we can’t win a game on the road, how far we really gon’ get in the playoffs? … Gotta go win a game on the road, that’s what we gon’ do.”
Cunningham added, “Being up 3-2 is an advantage for them. It’s first to four wins, though. We know that. We’ve had our back against the wall before.”
Cade Cunningham Says Detroit Pistons Must Win on the Road
GettyDetroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham
Detroit entered the fourth quarter with momentum and led by nine points after a Tobias Harris 3-pointer with just over three minutes remaining in regulation.
However, the Pistons failed to score another field goal in the fourth quarter or overtime after Harris’ basket. Cleveland forced six consecutive misses and two shot-clock violations during the closing stretch.
Cunningham said the Pistons now have to prove they can win on the road if they want to continue their postseason run.
“At the end of the day, I mean, if we can’t win a game on the road, how far are we really going to get in the playoffs?” Cunningham said. “How far are we going to get in this league? So we’ve got to go win a game on the road. That’s what we’re going to go do.”
The Pistons are now 1-4 on the road during this postseason.
Cunningham continued carrying Detroit offensively throughout Game 5. He shot 13-for-27 from the field and consistently answered Cleveland runs. But Detroit struggled to generate reliable offense outside of its All-Star guard.
Daniss Jenkins scored 19 points in his first playoff start, while Tobias Harris added 13 points on 6-for-19 shooting. Jalen Duren finished with nine points, five rebounds and a game-low minus-16 rating before spending extended time on the bench in favor of Paul Reed.
Detroit’s offense scored only 10 points from the moment Harris hit his late 3-pointer through the end of overtime.
James Harden and Cleveland Cavaliers Rally Late in Game 5
Getty Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden
The Cavaliers overcame several issues to steal the road win and move within one victory of the conference finals.
James Harden led Cleveland with 30 points, while Donovan Mitchell added 21 points and Evan Mobley finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
Cleveland committed 17 turnovers that led to 27 Detroit points, but the Cavaliers responded late behind improved defense and timely shot-making.
Max Strus also provided a major boost off the bench, scoring 20 points while making six 3-pointers.
Despite the loss, Cunningham took responsibility for parts of Detroit’s offensive struggles late in the game.
“It’s about exploiting whatever they’re doing that’s getting us advantages,” Cunningham said (via The Athletic). “When the ball’s in my hands, I’ve got to do a better job of getting the ball to the open man and allowing the rest of the team to play four-on-three situations.”
He added, “I just haven’t done a good enough job drawing two and getting the ball to guys cleanly where they can go execute.”
The series now shifts back to Rocket Arena, where Cleveland has not lost during the playoffs. The Cavaliers are 6-0 at home this postseason entering Friday’s Game 6.
Detroit, meanwhile, will try to keep its season alive behind Cunningham, who continues to emerge as one of the NBA’s top postseason performers despite the Pistons’ offensive limitations around him.
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