The Detroit Pistons claimed a commanding 2-0 series advantage over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, securing a 107-97 victory at home.
Cade Cunningham led the charge with 25 points and 10 assists, while Tobias Harris contributed 21 points. Detroit has now won five consecutive games, rallying from the brink of elimination against Orlando in the first round.
Duncan Robinson added 17 points, hitting 5 of 9 from beyond the arc, and Daniss Jenkins came off the bench to deliver 14 points, marking his third straight double-figure scoring performance.
For the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell poured in 31 points, and Jarrett Allen bounced back from a subpar Game 1 with 22 points and seven rebounds. James Harden, however, struggled, finishing with just 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting, committing four turnovers—including one costly giveaway with 33 seconds left as Cleveland trailed by only six.
Cleveland made the opening shot but didn’t lead again until Evan Mobley’s dunk put them ahead 81-79 early in the fourth quarter. Detroit built leads of 11 in the first and 14 in the second, but couldn’t pull away until crunch time.
The Cavs opened the fourth with six straight points and responded defensively, but Robinson drained a tiebreaking triple with 9:40 remaining, and Cunningham followed with a 3-pointer to push the Pistons ahead by nine with 2:12 left.
Cavs reserve guard Sam Merrill missed Game 2 due to a hamstring injury sustained in the series opener.
Game 3 shifts to Cleveland on Saturday, where the Cavaliers went 4-0 in the first round against Toronto.
