It took an extra five minutes and a controversial no-call at the end of regulation, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are now just a win away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals.
The Cavaliers rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime Wednesday night to grab a 3-2 series lead. The Game 5 win was their third straight and first on the road this postseason. If they can close out the series Friday night at home, they’ll secure what would be their first trip to the conference finals since 2018.
Mitchell had seven of his 21 points in the extra period, which came on a night when he only had two in the third quarter and went 1-of-8 from behind the arc.
While it led by as many as 15 at one point, Detroit only carried an eight-point lead into the locker room at halftime despite a pretty dominant defensive opening 24 minutes. The Pistons forced 10 turnovers that led to 20 points in the first half, and Cade Cunningham dropped 20 points while shooting 7-of-14 from the field. They even opened the second quarter making eight straight shots. But every time it looked like they were going to run away with it, Cleveland managed to hang around.
The Cavaliers finally took off in the third quarter and flipped the game around. James Harden had nine points in the period, and they ended up outscoring Detroit 32-20 in the quarter to grab a four-point lead after a late Evan Mobley 3-pointer — which marked their largest lead of the game at that point.
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Like it had been trending all game, both teams went on big runs in the fourth quarter. The Pistons jumped out in front first, and then the Cavaliers came climbing back and tied it up after a Mobley 3-pointer and a pair of free throws. The Cavs had a shot at a game-winner, but Ausar Thompson blocked Mitchell from behind to force a turnover. It looked like Thompson may have drawn a foul while collecting the loose ball before the buzzer sounded, but it wasn’t called. The Pistons were in the bonus, too, so Thompson would have gone to the free-throw line.
But nothing was called, so the game went into overtime. Cleveland wasted little time. Jarrett Allen threw down a put-back dunk on the Cavs’ first possession, and Mitchell hit a short bucket on their next trip down.
Mitchell then sealed the win with a quick five points, first with his only 3-pointer of the night and then with a layup off a quick Max Strus steal. Just like that, their lead was seven.
While the next few minutes of basketball weren’t great, and the Pistons hung around until the end, the lead was enough for the Cavaliers to hold on.
Cunningham led Detroit with 39 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in the loss. It was his highest-scoring game this series. Jenkins added 19 points, Tobias Harris finished with 13, and Paul Reed has 10. They were the only Pistons to hit double figures.
Harden led the Cavaliers with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to go with Mitchell’s 21. The duo shot a combined 4-of-18 from behind the arc. Strus added 20 points and 8 rebounds off the bench, and Mobley had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
