Game 5 of the second-round series between the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers is going down to the wire. Both teams traded blows all game long, leading to a final possession for the Cavs. Thankfully for the home crowd, guard Ausar Thompson made a crucial stop against Donovan Mitchell to force overtime.
Thompson may have gotten the ball, but he was tripped up by Jarrett Allen. However, no foul was called on the play.
The Cavs and Pistons are going to overtime in Game 5 👀
Ausar Thompson with the stop on Donovan Mitchell in the final play of regulation.pic.twitter.com/uTwYGQnu9Y https://t.co/iDhc4Dd8EE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 14, 2026
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The Cavaliers were in the penalty during the last possession of the game. Had a foul been called on Allen against Thompson, that would have given the Pistons guard a chance to give his team the lead with less than a second left in the game. Thompson is a 57.1% free throw shooter in this year's postseason.
The Pistons would end up losing the game in overtime, 117-111. It's a brutal collapse from Detroit, which led by as much as nine points late in the fourth quarter before squandering the lead. With that loss, the Pistons once again are facing elimination: a familiar sight for the team. They came back from a 3-1 deficit in the first round, winning three straight elimination games to advance to the second round of the postseason.
Game 6 of the series will be played in Cleveland on Friday, May 15. The Pistons have had their struggles in Cleveland, losing their last two games there before the Game 5 disaster. Detroit will need to exorcise their road demons in order to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Game 5 of the second-round series between the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers is going down to the wire. Both teams traded blows all game long, leading to a final possession for the Cavs. Thankfully for the home crowd, guard Ausar Thompson made a crucial stop against Donovan Mitchell to force overtime.