Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit Pistons 112-103 at home on Monday, May 11.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pistons had the better start, winning the first 24-21 to lead by 3 after one. The Pistons kept the pressure on with a 32-31 second quarter, carrying a 4-point lead into halftime.
The Cavaliers won the third 38-21 to turn the game around, taking a 13-point lead into the fourth. The Pistons took the fourth 26-22; the Cavaliers held on for a 112-103 regulation win.
What decided it
The Cavaliers made 38.5 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 10.8 for the Pistons. The Cavaliers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 13.8% of possessions compared with 18.9% for the Pistons. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Pistons did win one battle, shooting: eFG% of 56.6% against 52.6%. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 95 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 118.4 points per 100 possessions to 108.9 for the Pistons.
The Pistons' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 32-14.
Who made the difference
Donovan Mitchell was the game's biggest individual force for CLE: 43 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast on 13-26 shooting. His Game Score of 32.1 led everyone. His team was +28 with him on the floor.
Caris LeVert led the Pistons with 24 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast on 10-16 shooting, good for a 21.8 Game Score.
James Harden (24 pts, 0 reb, 11 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 53% for the Cavaliers.
Across the last 11 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 6-5.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.