GAME 7 IS GOING DOWN IN DETROIT ON SUNDAY! Who punches their ticket to the ECF? Yankee Scores has the full breakdown!
The Detroit Pistons have extended their postseason run for the fourth game in a row, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-94 on Friday night to clinch another win in an elimination game, thereby forcing Game 7 on Sunday night back in Detroit.
“They just don’t quit,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “The resolve that they have. The belief that they have in one another. They just have the ability to bounce back mentally where they don’t hang on to things.”
Defensive Masterclass
With four wins in elimination games, the Pistons join the Boston Celtics as the last NBA team to accomplish such a feat since 2023. This Friday night victory was won with great teamwork defense that kept the Cleveland Cavaliers below 29% shooting from the field in the second half and under 40% for the game.
“We did what needed to be done,” Bickerstaff said. “When we’re at our best, it’s the defense that’s going to carry us. It’s the physicality. I was pleased that we were allowed to play our style of basketball tonight where we can be legally physical, legally handsy, and just make it difficult on people.”
BIG DAWG MOVES × 2 pic.twitter.com/vXA7ZbwHpK
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 16, 2026
A Balanced Motor City Attack
Cade Cunningham topped the scorers with 21 points and a team-high five 3-point shots made, but several other Pistons also made notable contributions. Jalen Duren had the best game of the series with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Daniss Jenkins added 15 points in the game. Paul Reed added 17 points off the bench. Duncan Robinson scored 14 points in his return from a back injury suffered in Game 5 with four 3-point shots made.
Ausar Thompson also had a solid game in contributing 10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and a block.
Unc getting up pic.twitter.com/oHKNixhxTL
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 16, 2026
“We needed every bit of it,” Cunningham said. “It’s been a collective effort. Great team win.”
Coming into Friday night with a 3-2 series deficit after dropping three consecutive games, the Pistons took inspiration from their own comeback in the first round. They eliminated the Orlando Magic with a 3-1 lead by winning three straight games, including a strong second half of Game 6 away and then taking Game 7 away from them.
This experience only strengthened Cunningham’s mission in Game 6 of taking down the Cavaliers away and going back to Detroit for Game 7.
“I just think you got to look at the backgrounds of this group,” Jenkins said. “I’m not supposed to be in this position according to everybody in the league. I just think we’re special. We just want to defy all the odds not taking [anything] from [anybody]. We know it’s us against the world.”
OH MY. 🚫
Ausar just being Ausar. pic.twitter.com/WwGBmm7Dw5
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 16, 2026
For both teams, this will be the second Game 7 in the postseason this year. The Cavaliers needed seven games to take care of the Toronto Raptors in the first round.
Frustration Bubbles Over in Cleveland
However, the Cavaliers’ hopes of advancing to the conference finals since 2018 were dashed, having lost their first-ever home playoff loss (6-1), with James Harden having 23 points but going just 6-for-13 with eight turnovers, and Donovan Mitchell failing to shoot efficiently, going just 6-for-20 for 18 points.
“We never really kicked it to that second level,” Harden said. “And we needed to get to that third and fourth level. It was never just a consistent flow at either end of the ball, which is frustrating, but can’t do nothing about it. We got to start focusing our mind for one game on the road.”
