DETROIT - Tobias Harris made a mid-range jumper to give the Detroit Pistons a nine-point 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, the Cleveland Cavaliers again 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. 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 and Harris finished with 13 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. Max Strus added 20 points off the bench.
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