DETROIT – For the first time since the 2007-2008 season, the top-seeded Detroit Pistons have taken a 2-0 series lead after defeating the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers 107-97 inside Little Caesars Arena.
Cade Cunningham and the Pistons rallied in the fourth quarter, trailing by two before scoring 12 of his 25 points to help outscore the Cavs 28-22 to help seal the victory.
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Cunningham finished with a double-double as he added 10 assists in the matchup.
Tobias Harris had another 21-point game while grabbing seven rebounds.
Jalen Duren had 10 rebounds in the game alongside eight points, but Daniss Jenkins was the spark for the game.
Jenkins, in 26 minutes, chipped in with 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the victory.
The former Michigan Wolverines stars in Duncan Robinson (17 points) and Caris LeVert (eight points) also made their presence felt in the victory.
Donovan Mitchell dropped 31 points in the loss that was sponsored by a massive third quarter.
Jared Allen had 22 points with seven rebounds and three assists in the defeat.
1st quarter
Cleveland struck first when Dean Wade hit a corner 3-pointer off the opening tip to give the Cavaliers a 3-0 lead.
Harris answered quickly with a 3-pointer of his own to tie the game.
The teams traded baskets early, including contested floaters from Cunningham and Mitchell.
Cunningham then connected with Ausar Thompson on an alley-oop to give Detroit a 7-5 advantage.
Robinson sparked a run with back-to-back steals, first knocking down a three-pointer and then finishing a coast-to-coast layup to extend the lead to 12-5.
Cleveland called a timeout with 9:18 remaining in the quarter.
Thompson added to the momentum, grabbing a defensive rebound and going end-to-end for a layup as Detroit went on a 9-0 run over a 1:33 stretch.
Allen ended the run with a contested layup, and Mitchell later capitalized on a Cunningham turnover.
The Cavaliers then regained momentum when Mitchell converted a basket while Harris fell to the floor after a crossover and briefly left the play injured.
Detroit called a timeout with the Pistons leading 14-11 and 6:54 remaining.
Thompson responded out of the timeout with a dunk to push the lead to 16-11.
The quarter remained physical and turnover-heavy, with Cleveland committing six turnovers in the opening frame.
Detroit’s defense continued to generate opportunities, including fast-break points from Jenkins and contributions from Duren at the rim.
LeVert added a corner 3-pointer following an offensive rebound to stretch the lead to 23-14, before Jenkins hit a floater to make it 25-14.
Mitchell closed the quarter with a pair of free throws, and Evan Mobley missed a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer as Detroit led 25-18 after 12 minutes.
2nd quarter
Cunningham and Harris helped fuel a late surge as the Detroit Pistons took a 54-43 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers at halftime Thursday night.
Cunningham nearly turned the ball over on the opening possession of the second quarter before Jalen Duren came close to finishing at the rim, but his contested attempt rimmed out.
Mitchell briefly swung momentum Cleveland’s way, stealing the ball from Cunningham on the next possession, but he appeared to twist his ankle on the fast break and then committed a traveling violation on the ensuing play.
Cunningham responded moments later by banking in a 3-pointer.
Jaylon Tyson was fouled by Cunningham on a made basket, Cunningham’s second foul, but missed the free throw.
Duren answered with a strong post move, spinning through his defender for a bucket.
LeVert extended Cleveland’s lead to 33-22 with a three-pointer before Harden answered with a short pull-up jumper.
Duren was fouled at the rim by Mobley and split the free throws as Harden secured the rebound on the miss.
Keon Ellis knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to seven, but the Pistons maintained control despite turnovers on both sides.
Thompson picked up his third foul with 7:16 remaining in the half.
Detroit pushed ahead again after Harden turned the ball over, leading to a putback opportunity for Ronald Holland II, who was fouled and converted both free throws, giving the Pistons a 36-27 lead.
Harden later stepped out of bounds on a possession, and Daniss Jenkins missed a contested layup.
Allen responded with a short jumper in the paint, Cleveland’s 20th point in the lane, prompting a timeout with 6:43 remaining.
Out of the timeout, Jenkins drilled a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 39-29.
Harden went back to the line and converted two free throws after a foul by Isaiah Stewart.
The teams traded turnovers before Jenkins hit a 16-foot jumper and Allen split free throws after another Stewart foul.
Harris added a jumper in the lane before Allen again went to the line, where he made both free throws.
Jenkins followed with a running layup to keep Detroit in control.
After a back-and-forth stretch, Harris scored through contact at the rim, then added a floater after a steal as Detroit built a 47-36 advantage, forcing a Cavaliers timeout with 3:20 remaining.
Out of the timeout, Harris continued his scoring run with another jumper before Harden answered with a fadeaway.
Robinson and Mobley each hit 3-pointers in response, keeping Cleveland within striking distance.
Jenkins later found Duren for a dunk, and Mitchell closed the half with a floater at the buzzer as Detroit took a 54-43 lead into the break.
3rd quarter
Detroit opened the second half with a failed lob attempt that quickly turned into a Cleveland basket, as Mitchell found Allen for a score inside.
Cunningham missed a contested jumper on Detroit’s next possession, though Duren secured the defensive rebound before Thompson missed at the rim.
Mitchell then drew Thompson’s fourth foul and split a pair of free throws.
Cleveland continued to chip away as LeVert hit a contested jumper and Mitchell followed with a floater in the lane.
Harris answered with a running floater before Wade connected on a wide-open three-pointer.
The Pistons briefly regained momentum when Cunningham drew a foul on Harden and made both free throws. Mitchell countered with another contested floater, but Cunningham answered emphatically with a dunk over Allen to keep Detroit ahead.
Allen later converted two free throws to trim the deficit to six before fouling Duren at the rim.
Duren split his free throws, and Mitchell responded with a 3-pointer. Harris immediately answered with a three-pointer of his own.
Mitchell continued to carry Cleveland’s offense, banking in a deep 28-footer and pumping his fist after cutting Detroit’s lead to four.
The basket gave him 23 points for the game, including 11 in the quarter.
Allen added a floater before Duncan Robinson knocked down his third 3-pointer of the night to keep the Pistons in front.
Former Pistons guard Dennis Schroder later scored on a goaltending call against Duren, and Harris split a pair of free throws after being fouled by Harden.
Stewart followed with a putback before Mobley answered with a layup to cut Detroit’s lead to four.
With just over two minutes left in the quarter, Cleveland had outscored Detroit 25-18 in the period behind Mitchell’s scoring surge.
Max Strus drilled a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one, but Cunningham answered with a short jumper.
Cunningham then blocked Schroder on the defensive end before drawing a foul from Harden and making both free throws to stretch the lead back to five with 40.6 seconds remaining.
Schroder answered with two free throws after being fouled by Stewart, and Harden later added a jumper to bring Cleveland within one point.
But for the second straight game, Detroit closed the third quarter with a momentum-shifting 3-pointer.
This time it was Daniss Jenkins, who buried a 29-footer at the buzzer to give the Pistons a 79-75 lead heading into the final quarter.
4th quarter
Cleveland opened the final period with momentum as Mitchell missed a corner three-pointer, but Tyson converted the putback to trim Detroit’s lead to two.
After the Pistons were called for a 24-second violation, Mitchell grabbed his own miss and scored to tie the game.
The Cavaliers then took their first lead of the night when Mobley finished a dunk off a Schroder assist, capping a 6-0 run after Cleveland had trailed by as many as 11 points.
Detroit called a timeout, trailing 81-79.
The Pistons responded immediately out of the timeout.
Harris knocked down an 11-foot jumper to tie the game before Robinson buried a three-pointer to put Detroit back in front.
Mitchell answered with a floater after a Cunningham turnover to cut the deficit to one, but Harris forced a Mitchell turnover on the next possession and converted a hook shot to stretch Detroit’s lead back to three.
Detroit maintained control in the closing minutes as Strus missed a deep three-point attempt before Mitchell was called for a loose-ball foul on Cunningham.
Cunningham went to the free-throw line and made both shots to extend the Pistons’ lead to 107-97.
Mobley’s final shot attempt sailed off target as Harris secured the rebound, and Jenkins dribbled out the clock to seal the victory for Detroit.