Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime on Wednesday to move within one win of advancing in the NBA playoffs. The Cavs, fueled by 30 points from veteran James Harden, claimed their first road win of these playoffs to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series. They will try to close it out at home when they host game six on Friday, with the New York Knicks awaiting in the conference finals.
“Great time to have a first road win,” Harden told broadcaster ESPN after Cleveland notched their third straight victory to move within sight of their first trip to the conference finals since 2018. Cleveland trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half against the top-seeded Pistons, who were led by 39 points from Cade Cunningham. They rallied in the third, but in a see-saw fourth quarter the Pistons appeared to have gained control with a 12-0 scoring run and led by nine with 3:57 left in regulation.
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Once again the Cavaliers responded, Evan Mobley coming up with a dunk and two free throws to tie it up with 45.2 seconds remaining — part of a 13-0 Cleveland run bridging the fourth quarter and the start of overtime that put the Cavs ahead for good. Cunningham’s jump shot with 25.9 seconds left in overtime pulled the Pistons back within two points, but they would get no closer. Donovan Mitchell added 21 points and Max Strus chipped in 20 off the bench for Cleveland, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds from Jarrett Allen.
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said Harden’s cool head in key moments was just what the Cavaliers had been looking for when they signed the 36-year-old three-time scoring champion in February. “Big reason we got him, that’s what we expected,” Atkinson said. “He adds a maturity and a poise, calmness to our group, which we needed.” Cunningham added nine assists and seven rebounds and Daniss Jenkins scored 19 for the Pistons, who must win in Cleveland to force the series to return to Detroit for game seven.
Pistons prepared to fight – Harden said the Cavs, unbeaten at home this post-season, can’t afford to let their guard down against a Detroit team that rallied from 3-1 down to beat Orlando in the first round. “Very, very crazy team defensively,” he said. “We’ve seen what they’ve done. They’ve come back from 3-1, so from the beginning of the game we’ve got to make sure our mindset is right and we do the small things to finish the series.”
Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff vowed the Pistons won’t go down easily. “We’re not going to go down without a fight,” he said. “That’s just who we are. We’ve been in this position before, and we were able to work our way through it.” I expect our guys to be ready mentally and to go out and compete at a high level and bring this thing back (to Detroit),” added Bickerstaff, who was irked that no foul was given when Cleveland’s Allen inadvertently tripped Ausar Thompson on the final play of regulation. “He fouled Ausar. It’s clear,” Bickerstaff said. “End of game situation, you know, that’s tough.”
The winner of the series will face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. The third-seeded Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers in four games to reach the East finals for the second straight year.
© 2024 AFP
