Cavaliers rally past Pistons in overtime to take 3-2 lead

James Harden carried the offense with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists, giving Cleveland the shot creation it needed when the game tightened late. Max Strus supplied the perimeter lift with 20 points and six made 3-pointers in eight attempts, including 12 points from beyond the arc in the first half. Those two kept Cleveland within striking distance long enough for the Cavaliers to seize control after Detroit had been on the verge of closing it out in regulation.

The closing minutes carried the weight of a series swing. Detroit led by as many as nine points with about three minutes left in regulation, but Cleveland stayed alive through the final stretch and then finished the job in overtime. A controversial no-call late in the fourth quarter added to the tension inside the arena and amplified the sense that Game 5 had turned on a handful of possessions.

Donovan Mitchell joined the postgame locker-room celebration, a sign of how much the win meant to a Cavaliers team that is now one victory away from its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2018. Head coach Kenny Atkinson addressed the group after the overtime victory, with Cleveland’s response under pressure underscoring why the series has shifted so sharply. Detroit still has home-court hope, but the Pistons now face a must-win Game 6 against a Cleveland team that found another level when the game demanded it.