Detroit beat Cleveland 107-97 on Thursday night and took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Cade Cunningham steering the Pistons through the final minutes after the Cavaliers briefly pulled in front. Cunningham finished with 25 points and 10 assists, Tobias Harris added 21 points and Duncan Robinson scored 17.
The Cavaliers led with 10:19 left in the fourth quarter before Detroit took control again. Harris put the Pistons back ahead with a fadeaway jumper at 3:13, Cunningham buried a stepback 3-pointer over Max Strus to make it 101-92 with 2:12 left, and he later hit two free throws with 22.7 seconds left to seal a 107-97 margin. Jalen Duren added two free throws with 26.8 seconds remaining, and Ausar Thompson stole the ball from James Harden after Harden lost control with 33 seconds left.
Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 31 points for Cleveland, Jarrett Allen had 22 points and seven rebounds, Harden finished with 10 points and Evan Mobley scored nine points with one rebound. The Pistons also won Game 1, 111-101, on May 5 after turnovers and Allen's foul trouble slowed Cleveland. Game 3 is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers will need to answer immediately or the series could move toward a steep climb from 2-0.
