DETROIT — Cade Cunningham led the Detroit Pistons with 23 points while Tobias Harris contributed 20 points, helping the Pistons secure a 111-101 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
Duncan Robinson added another 19 points as the top-seeded Pistons broke an NBA record by ending a 12-game losing streak in postseason matchups against a single team, a streak that had persisted since the 2007 Eastern Conference finals.
Game 2 is on the schedule for Thursday night in Detroit.
The Pistons executed a solid game plan against Cleveland’s dynamic backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, forcing a total of 20 turnovers and converting those into 31 points.
“This series is definitely a challenge, but we’re ready for it,” Harris remarked. “I think we did a fantastic job tonight.”
Mitchell scored 23 points, marking the end of an impressive streak where he had scored 30 or more points in nine consecutive series openers.
Harden put up 22 points, and Max Strus chipped in with 19, but the fourth-seeded Cavs found themselves trailing by as much as 18 throughout most of the game, managing to tie it midway through the fourth quarter.
Harden acknowledged his struggle with turnovers, admitting to seven errors during the game. “You really have to start by looking within,” he said. “A lot of my turnovers were just careless mistakes.”
Cleveland’s center, Jarrett Allen, had been stellar with 22 points and 19 rebounds in their previous game against Toronto but was limited to just two points and three rebounds in this matchup.
The game kicked off strongly for the Pistons, who led 37-31 at the end of the first quarter. By halftime, they had a more comfortable lead of 59-46, although Cleveland soon narrowed the gap.
As the third quarter drew to a close, the Cavs managed to bring the score within three points, thanks to a buzzer-beater three-pointer from Ron Holland, ending the quarter at 83-76.
Cleveland cut the deficit to three early in the fourth quarter, but the Pistons quickly responded with eight straight points that reestablished their double-digit lead.
But the Cavaliers kept fighting.
Harden, now with Cleveland, scored seven points in a row to tie the game at 93 with just under six minutes left.
That’s when Jalen Duren stepped up, blocking Harden’s next attempt and scoring on three consecutive dunks—each assisted by Cunningham.
This season, the Pistons clinched the division title by eight games over the defending-champion Cavaliers, splitting their regular-season matchups four games each.
Detroit finished the regular season with 60 wins, earning the top seed in the East, which is quite a turnaround—just two years after setting an NBA record with 28 consecutive losses in a season.
They fought back from a 3-1 deficit in the first round against Orlando, marking their return to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Cleveland, on the other hand, moved past Toronto in seven games, making it to the second round for the third consecutive year, starting with head coach Bickerstaff, who was fired by the Cavs and hired by the Pistons a month later.
