Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit Pistons 117-113 on the road on Wednesday, May 13 in overtime.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pistons had the better start, winning the first 29-27 to lead by 2 after one. The Pistons kept the pressure on with a 31-25 second quarter, carrying a 8-point lead into halftime.
The Cavaliers won the third 32-20 to turn the game around, taking a 4-point lead into the fourth. The Pistons answered with a 23-19 fourth quarter, forcing overtime at 103.
The Cavaliers finally separated the teams in overtime, winning it 14-10 to close out a 117-113 victory.
What decided it
The Cavaliers made 38.8 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 18.9 for the Pistons. The Cavaliers got more from their shots, finishing at 53.8% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50% for the Pistons. In a 4-point game, the points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Pistons did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 10.1 against 16. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 99 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 117.9 points per 100 possessions to 113.8 for the Pistons.
The Pistons' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 27-11.
Who stepped up
Cade Cunningham was the game's biggest individual force for DET: 39 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast on 13-27 shooting. His Game Score of 28.1 led everyone. His team was -4 with him on the floor.
Max Strus led the Cavaliers with 20 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast on 6-8 shooting, good for a 21.2 Game Score.
Jarrett Allen (16 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Cavaliers entered with about a 28% chance.
Across the last 12 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 7-5.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.