Cade Cunningham leads Pistons past Cavaliers, take 2-0 series lead

Cade Cunningham kept the ball in the right places when the game tightened, then finished it himself. He scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, hit all eight free throws and added 10 assists as the Pistons pulled away late for a 107-97 victory over the Cavaliers on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena.

The win gave Detroit a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals and shifted the tone of the series from surprise to something sturdier. Tobias Harris added 21 points, giving the top-seeded Pistons another scoring option as Cleveland struggled to find answers down the stretch. Detroit’s first two wins have come by double digits, 111-101 in Game 1 on Tuesday and 107-97 in Game 2, and the Pistons have now won five straight since being pushed to the brink by Orlando in the first round.

That turnaround matters because Detroit is not merely surviving, it is controlling the terms. Cunningham has become the organizing force of the series, bending the game with his pace, passing and late-clock shot-making. The Pistons also entered the matchup as the East’s No. 1 seed, while Cleveland arrived after a seven-game first-round fight with Toronto. The contrast has shown up in the margins: Detroit has been more composed late, while Cleveland has repeatedly struggled to solve Detroit’s pressure and execution.

Game 1 already carried historical weight. Detroit’s 111-101 victory ended an NBA record-tying 12-game postseason losing streak against a single opponent, a drought that stretched back to the 2007 Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland. The Pistons’ last playoff win over the Cavaliers before this series had come in Game 2 of that 2007 East finals matchup at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the last time Detroit took a 2-0 lead against this opponent.

Cleveland was also missing reserve guard Sam Merrill in Game 2 after he hurt his hamstring in the opener, a setback that thinned an already strained rotation. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland’s offensive engine, had averaged 27.9 points during the regular season and scored 23 in Game 1, but the Cavaliers have yet to find a consistent counter to Cunningham’s control of the series. Two games in, Detroit has not just protected home court. It has forced the Cavaliers to chase a game that the Pistons keep dictating.