The Detroit Pistons blew out the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-94 early Saturday morning to stave off elimination in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Facing a tight 3-2 series deficit on the road at Rocket Arena, Detroit turned to its second unit to keep their season alive.
The Pistons’ bench completely overwhelmed Cleveland, combining for exactly 48 points. Paul Reed led the charge with 17 points, followed by Duncan Robinson with 14, Marcus Sasser with 9, and Caris LeVert adding 8, according to the official Game 6 box score.
That depth scoring allowed Detroit to overcome early pressure and comfortably force a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Michigan.
Cade Cunningham paced the starting lineup with 21 points and 8 assists. Center Jalen Duren also found his rhythm in the paint. After a quiet nine-point outing in Game 5, Duren bounced back by tying his playoff career-high in minutes with 27. He secured a double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Cleveland struggled heavily with ball security and shooting efficiency all night. James Harden scored a team-high 23 points but committed 8 costly turnovers. Donovan Mitchell failed to find his stroke, shooting a poor 6-of-20 from the floor for 18 points and finishing with a minus-25 plus-minus rating.
The Cavaliers entered the night hoping to close out the series after erasing a late deficit to win Game 5 in overtime, securing a 3-2 lead earlier in the week.
Now, the two teams will return to Detroit. The winner of Game 7 will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the New York Knicks.