In a tense Game 5 on Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime at Little Caesars Arena to take a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Cleveland overcame an early 15-point deficit and a 103-94 late fourth-quarter gap before forcing overtime. The Cavaliers also erased a nine-point deficit with 2:30 remaining in regulation and tied the game on free throws from Evan Mobley with 45.2 seconds left, sending the contest to OT.
James Harden led Cleveland with a playoff-best 30 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-10 from three and 11-of-14 from the free-throw line, along with 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks in 43 minutes. Harden also came up big late, converting free throws and collecting an offensive rebound off a missed shot to help secure the win.
Following the victory, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson praised his team’s mental toughness and credited Harden’s composure in the high-pressure environment.
“It was chaos out there, but our guys are seasoned,” said Atkinson. “You know, James helps. He helps a lot. Just he never, like I said before, they never know if you’re down 20, up 20. Just calm the whole time.”
Kenny Atkinson likes the mental toughness he’s seen from this group, and credits James Harden for how they were able to handle this. pic.twitter.com/GaaQYAQWKY
— Jackson Flickinger (@JacksFlickinger) May 14, 2026
Donovan Mitchell finished with 21 points, while Evan Mobley contributed 19 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Jarrett Allen added 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Max Strus chipped in 20 points with six 3-pointers.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with a game-high 39 points, along with 7 rebounds and 9 assists. The Pistons also held a 15-point lead in the first half and led 103-94 late in regulation before Cleveland’s rally.
The Cavaliers closed the game on a 13-0 run in regulation and held Detroit scoreless for five minutes spanning late fourth quarter into overtime. Cleveland also outscored the Pistons in overtime after a stretch of strong defensive stops.
Detroit got limited production from Jalen Duren, who scored 9 points and saw reduced minutes in the fourth quarter and overtime. Daniss Jenkins contributed 19 points in relief duties.
The Cavaliers also made their advantage at the free-throw line count, going 31-of-38 compared to Detroit’s 18-of-20, in a game where the Pistons scored 27 points off Cleveland turnovers.
Game 6 will be played on Friday at Rocket Arena, where the Cavaliers can clinch a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals.