Final
Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks
135 – 117
2026-27 · Preseason · Preseason
Game state source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 6:37 pm EDTCleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons
2025-26 · Playoffs · All results that day · Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons head-to-head · Cleveland Cavaliers schedule · Detroit Pistons schedule
Final
Away
Cleveland Cavaliers
101
Home
Detroit Pistons
111
Venue: Little Caesars Arena
2026 NBA playoffs · Conference semifinals · Game 1
Observed Sep 24, 2026, 01:02 UTC.
Verified 2026 NBA playoff result. Full regular-season history is not included in this edition. Postseason games do not count toward regular-season records.
WHYNBA reorganized reported playoff results and period scores, cross-checking home/away roles and results against both participating team-season logs. No article prose or media reproduced. Cross-check sources: Team 1 season log · Team 2 season log. These are pages from the same publisher, not independent reporting.
Quarter scores
| Period | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 21 | 37 |
| Q2 | 25 | 22 |
| Q3 | 30 | 24 |
| Q4 | 25 | 28 |
Game recap · 2026 NBA playoff results
Player box scores and scoring plays are shown below when available. Coverage varies by game.
Game recap
The Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 at home in the playoffs on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena. Cade Cunningham had 23 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists for the Detroit Pistons. Donovan Mitchell had 23 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Detroit Pistons led 59-46 at halftime and held on in the second half. Their best stretch was the first quarter, won 37-21. Double-digit figures in two categories: Jalen Duren (double-double, Detroit Pistons). Bench points: Cleveland Cavaliers 35, Detroit Pistons 27. Tobias Harris had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist in support for the winners.
Written by the whynba data desk from the licensed final box score and period scores.
Retrieved Sep 24, 2026, 01:02:58 UTC. Source update time is unavailable.
Controls this game's status, scores and reported player statistics only. Other page sections may still update. Pausing lasts until you resume or reload.
Reported player statistics
this may be a partial box score. A dash means unavailable. Zero minutes alone does not establish a DNP designation.
| Player | Team | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/− | Retrieved (UTC) |
|---|
Quick answers
- Who won Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons?
- The Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 on May 5, 2026.
- Who led the scoring?
- Donovan Mitchell scored 23 for the Cleveland Cavaliers; Cade Cunningham scored 23 for the Detroit Pistons.
Match dossier
Inside the game
Box score
Game leaders
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Points
- 23 Donovan Mitchell
- Rebounds
- 9 Evan Mobley
- Assists
- 7 James Harden
Detroit Pistons
- Points
- 23 Cade Cunningham
- Rebounds
- 12 Jalen Duren
- Assists
- 7 Cade Cunningham
Jalen Duren double-double (11 PTS, 12 REB)
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3P | FT | PF | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donovan Mitchell starter | 35:18 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9-19 | 4-10 | 1-2 | 3 | -7 |
| James Harden starter | 35:00 | 22 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6-15 | 1-7 | 9-9 | 3 | -7 |
| Evan Mobley starter | 34:46 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6-11 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 3 | -18 |
| Dean Wade starter | 27:46 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | -4 |
| Jarrett Allen starter | 18:22 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4 | +4 |
| Max Strus bench | 27:39 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7-13 | 4-8 | 1-1 | 3 | -9 |
| Jaylon Tyson bench | 17:35 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | +9 |
| Dennis Schröder bench | 16:12 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3-6 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 1 | +0 |
| Keon Ellis bench | 10:55 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1 | -5 |
| Thomas Bryant bench | 9:46 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 1 | -3 |
| Sam Merrill bench | 6:41 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | -10 |
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3P | FT | PF | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cade Cunningham starter | 41:43 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6-19 | 2-5 | 9-11 | 2 | +12 |
| Tobias Harris starter | 38:45 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6-14 | 1-5 | 7-8 | 1 | +6 |
| Jalen Duren starter | 35:13 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4-11 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 0 | +17 |
| Ausar Thompson starter | 32:45 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 4 | -9 |
| Duncan Robinson starter | 27:53 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7-12 | 5-8 | 0-1 | 4 | +6 |
| Daniss Jenkins bench | 28:46 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5-13 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 2 | +8 |
| Isaiah Stewart bench | 12:48 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 2 | -7 |
| Ron Holland bench | 9:58 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 2 | +8 |
| Caris LeVert bench | 8:59 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | +13 |
| Javonte Green bench | 3:12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0 | -4 |
Not available: Charles Bediako, Kevin Huerter
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Stat | Detroit Pistons |
|---|---|---|
| 15/16 (93%) | Free throws | 27/35 (77%) |
| 22/42 (52%) | 2 pointers | 27/58 (46%) |
| 14/38 (36%) | 3 pointers | 10/26 (38%) |
| 36/80 (45%) | Field goals | 37/84 (44%) |
| 41 | Rebounds | 45 |
| 30 | Defensive rebounds | 29 |
| 11 | Offensive rebounds | 16 |
| 23 | Assists | 23 |
| 19 | Turnovers | 11 |
| 7 | Steals | 12 |
| 5 | Blocks | 3 |
| 22 | Fouls | 18 |
| 11 | Max points in a row | 11 |
| 2:53 | Time spent in lead | 43:45 |
| 5 | Biggest lead | 18 |
Largest margin: 18 points.
Game flow
- Lead changes
- 1
- Times tied
- 2
- Largest lead · Cleveland Cavaliers
- 5 Q1 10:36
- Largest lead · Detroit Pistons
- 18 Q1 1:41
- Longest run
- 11-0 Detroit Pistons · Q1 4:17 to Q1 1:41
Scoring plays
Q1 · 32 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:32 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 2-pt field goal | 2 | 0 |
| 10:36 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 5 | 0 |
| 10:18 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris Free throw | 5 | 1 |
| 10:18 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris Free throw | 5 | 2 |
| 9:34 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham 3-pt field goal | 5 | 5 |
| 9:18 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 7 | 5 |
| 9:05 | Detroit Pistons | Ausar Thompson Free throw | 7 | 6 |
| 8:23 | Detroit Pistons | Duncan Robinson 3-pt field goal | 7 | 9 |
| 7:36 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris Free throw | 7 | 10 |
| 7:36 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris Free throw | 7 | 11 |
| 7:20 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 9 | 11 |
| 7:01 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham 2-pt field goal | 9 | 13 |
| 6:41 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris 2-pt field goal | 9 | 15 |
| 6:25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden 2-pt field goal | 11 | 15 |
| 6:02 | Detroit Pistons | Jalen Duren Free throw | 11 | 16 |
| 6:02 | Detroit Pistons | Jalen Duren Free throw | 11 | 17 |
| 5:39 | Detroit Pistons | Daniss Jenkins 2-pt field goal | 11 | 19 |
| 5:11 | Detroit Pistons | Daniss Jenkins 2-pt field goal | 11 | 21 |
| 4:51 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 3-pt field goal | 14 | 21 |
| 4:17 | Detroit Pistons | Isaiah Stewart Free throw | 14 | 22 |
| 4:17 | Detroit Pistons | Isaiah Stewart Free throw | 14 | 23 |
| 3:54 | Detroit Pistons | Daniss Jenkins 2-pt field goal | 14 | 25 |
| 3:25 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham 3-pt field goal | 14 | 28 |
| 3:03 | Detroit Pistons | Isaiah Stewart 2-pt field goal | 14 | 30 |
| 1:41 | Detroit Pistons | Jalen Duren 2-pt field goal | 14 | 32 |
| 0:57 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Max Strus 3-pt field goal | 17 | 32 |
| 0:57 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham Free throw | 17 | 33 |
| 0:57 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham Free throw | 17 | 34 |
| 0:46 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dennis Schröder Free throw | 18 | 34 |
| 0:46 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dennis Schröder Free throw | 19 | 34 |
| 0:05 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 21 | 34 |
| 0:02 | Detroit Pistons | Javonte Green 3-pt field goal | 21 | 37 |
Q2 · 26 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:23 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 23 | 37 |
| 10:53 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Thomas Bryant 2-pt field goal | 25 | 37 |
| 10:41 | Detroit Pistons | Ausar Thompson 2-pt field goal | 25 | 39 |
| 9:35 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 28 | 39 |
| 9:17 | Detroit Pistons | Isaiah Stewart 2-pt field goal | 28 | 41 |
| 8:44 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Thomas Bryant Free throw | 29 | 41 |
| 8:44 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Thomas Bryant Free throw | 30 | 41 |
| 8:28 | Detroit Pistons | Duncan Robinson 3-pt field goal | 30 | 44 |
| 8:11 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Max Strus 3-pt field goal | 33 | 44 |
| 7:25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden Free throw | 34 | 44 |
| 7:25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden Free throw | 35 | 44 |
| 6:35 | Detroit Pistons | Ausar Thompson 2-pt field goal | 35 | 46 |
| 5:33 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris 3-pt field goal | 35 | 49 |
| 4:59 | Detroit Pistons | Jalen Duren Free throw | 35 | 50 |
| 4:23 | Detroit Pistons | Ausar Thompson 2-pt field goal | 35 | 52 |
| 4:09 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden 3-pt field goal | 38 | 52 |
| 3:53 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris Free throw | 38 | 53 |
| 3:40 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Keon Ellis 3-pt field goal | 41 | 53 |
| 3:02 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 3-pt field goal | 44 | 53 |
| 2:20 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham Free throw | 44 | 54 |
| 2:00 | Detroit Pistons | Ron Holland 2-pt field goal | 44 | 56 |
| 1:25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden Free throw | 45 | 56 |
| 1:25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden Free throw | 46 | 56 |
| 0:32 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham Free throw | 46 | 57 |
| 0:32 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham Free throw | 46 | 58 |
| 0:32 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham Free throw | 46 | 59 |
Q3 · 26 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:53 | Detroit Pistons | Duncan Robinson 3-pt field goal | 46 | 62 |
| 11:37 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 2-pt field goal | 48 | 62 |
| 10:44 | Detroit Pistons | Duncan Robinson 3-pt field goal | 48 | 65 |
| 10:23 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dean Wade 3-pt field goal | 51 | 65 |
| 9:40 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 2-pt field goal | 53 | 65 |
| 9:03 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dean Wade 2-pt field goal | 55 | 65 |
| 8:53 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham 2-pt field goal | 55 | 67 |
| 8:41 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley 2-pt field goal | 57 | 67 |
| 7:58 | Detroit Pistons | Ausar Thompson 2-pt field goal | 57 | 69 |
| 7:40 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen 2-pt field goal | 59 | 69 |
| 7:24 | Detroit Pistons | Ausar Thompson Free throw | 59 | 70 |
| 7:24 | Detroit Pistons | Ausar Thompson Free throw | 59 | 71 |
| 7:03 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Max Strus 3-pt field goal | 62 | 71 |
| 6:12 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris 2-pt field goal | 62 | 73 |
| 4:56 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dennis Schröder 2-pt field goal | 64 | 73 |
| 4:19 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris 2-pt field goal | 64 | 75 |
| 3:35 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 67 | 75 |
| 2:40 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Max Strus 2-pt field goal | 69 | 75 |
| 2:25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dennis Schröder 2-pt field goal | 71 | 75 |
| 2:09 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham 2-pt field goal | 71 | 77 |
| 1:52 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Max Strus 3-pt field goal | 74 | 77 |
| 0:51 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham Free throw | 74 | 78 |
| 0:51 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham Free throw | 74 | 79 |
| 0:51 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham Free throw | 74 | 80 |
| 0:04 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Max Strus 2-pt field goal | 76 | 80 |
| 0:01 | Detroit Pistons | Ron Holland 3-pt field goal | 76 | 83 |
Q4 · 31 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:50 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Max Strus 2-pt field goal | 78 | 83 |
| 11:50 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Max Strus Free throw | 79 | 83 |
| 11:27 | Detroit Pistons | Duncan Robinson 2-pt field goal | 79 | 85 |
| 11:04 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dennis Schröder 3-pt field goal | 82 | 85 |
| 10:51 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris 2-pt field goal | 82 | 87 |
| 9:52 | Detroit Pistons | Ron Holland Free throw | 82 | 88 |
| 9:48 | Detroit Pistons | Duncan Robinson 3-pt field goal | 82 | 91 |
| 9:15 | Detroit Pistons | Duncan Robinson 2-pt field goal | 82 | 93 |
| 8:18 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 84 | 93 |
| 7:23 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden Free throw | 85 | 93 |
| 7:23 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden Free throw | 86 | 93 |
| 6:32 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden 2-pt field goal | 88 | 93 |
| 6:00 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden 2-pt field goal | 90 | 93 |
| 5:28 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden Free throw | 91 | 93 |
| 5:28 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden Free throw | 92 | 93 |
| 5:28 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden Free throw | 93 | 93 |
| 4:50 | Detroit Pistons | Jalen Duren 2-pt field goal | 93 | 95 |
| 4:13 | Detroit Pistons | Jalen Duren 2-pt field goal | 93 | 97 |
| 3:54 | Detroit Pistons | Jalen Duren 2-pt field goal | 93 | 99 |
| 3:40 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden 2-pt field goal | 95 | 99 |
| 3:23 | Detroit Pistons | Daniss Jenkins 2-pt field goal | 95 | 101 |
| 3:07 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell Free throw | 96 | 101 |
| 2:45 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham 2-pt field goal | 96 | 103 |
| 2:04 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris 2-pt field goal | 96 | 105 |
| 1:46 | Cleveland Cavaliers | James Harden 2-pt field goal | 98 | 105 |
| 0:39 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris Free throw | 98 | 106 |
| 0:39 | Detroit Pistons | Tobias Harris Free throw | 98 | 107 |
| 0:33 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 101 | 107 |
| 0:26 | Detroit Pistons | Daniss Jenkins Free throw | 101 | 108 |
| 0:26 | Detroit Pistons | Daniss Jenkins Free throw | 101 | 109 |
| 0:18 | Detroit Pistons | Daniss Jenkins 2-pt field goal | 101 | 111 |
Highlights
Game statistics · retrieved Oct 9, 2026 02:29.
Historical tipoff shown in your selected time zone. Game times: Eastern Time.
Tipoff in UTC
May 5, 2026 · 23:00 UTC