"James Harden scored 30 points and Donovan Mitchell added 21, including seven in overtime, as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 117-113 on Wednesday to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The result leaves Detroit, the No 1 seeds in the East, just one defeat from elimination. Max Strus had 20 points and eight rebounds and Evan Mobley added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who had lost all five of their previous road playoff games this spring."
"You hope it propels us. You hope it galvanizes us. You hope we carry it forward, Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. That was a battle-tested win against a heck of a team, on the road. I think you build mental toughness with games like this. Cade Cunningham finished with 39 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Daniss Jenkins added 19 points for the Pistons, who will face elimination for the fourth time this postseason."
"It's a tough loss, Cunningham said. Obviously wanted to protect our own court. We failed to do that. Being up 3-2 is an advantage for them. First to four wins, though. We've had our back against the wall before. At the end of the day, if we can't win a game on the road, how far are we really gonna get in the playoffs? How far we gonna get in this league? So gotta go win the game on the road. That's what we're gonna go."
"Game 6 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Cleveland. A win by the Cavaliers sends Cleveland to the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks. A Detroit win sets up a Game 7 on the Pistons' home floor Sunday. [Mitchell] struggled a little bit offensively, but that's why he has a team and guys that pick him up, Harden said. Max [Strus] came through, made some big shots. Dennis [Schroder] came in, played extremely well. So this is a team effort."
Cleveland defeated Detroit 117-113 on the road to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. James Harden scored 30 points with eight rebounds and six assists, while Donovan Mitchell added 21 points, including seven in overtime. Max Strus contributed 20 points and eight rebounds, and Evan Mobley added 19 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Jarrett Allen added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham finished with 39 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, and Daniss Jenkins scored 19. The Cavaliers had lost all five previous road playoff games this spring, but this win provided momentum. Game 6 is Friday in Cleveland, with a Cavaliers win sending them to face the Knicks, and a Pistons win setting up Game 7 in Detroit.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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