Jalen Duren powered the Detroit Pistons to a 111-101 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on May 5. The Pistons took an early lead and held on for the win.
What happened?
The Pistons led by as many as 18 points early in the game.
Key players
Cade Cunningham collected 23 points and seven assists, including three straight dishes for Jalen Duren dunks to break a 93-all tie.
Tobias Harris added 20 points and Duncan Robinson had 19 points with five 3s.
Jalen Duren had 11 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks.
Turning point
The two-man game between Cunningham and Duren came alive and delivered the win for the Pistons.
The duo connected on three straight buckets, all dunks for Duren.
With 3:54 left, Cunningham threaded a one-handed bounce pass through traffic to set up Duren’s third dunk and extend the lead to 99-93.
A short hook from Cunningham pushed the lead to 103-96 with 2:45 remaining.
Next steps
The Pistons took control early with a 32-9 run in the first quarter that gave them a 32-14 advantage with 1:40 remaining.
The Pistons fought off run after run by the Cavs.
Donovan Mitchell led a 7-2 spurt to cut the lead to 11.
Twice in the second quarter, Cleveland cut the deficit to nine.
After a 3-pointer from Evan Mobley cut it to 53-44 with three minutes until halftime, a steal and layup by Ron Holland and three free throws from Cunningham allowed the Pistons to enter halftime with a 59-46 lead.
Cleveland finally found its rhythm in the third, outscoring the Pistons 30-24 while shooting 13-for-18.
Strus scored 10 to help the Cavs cut it to 77-74, with 1:52 remaining in the period.
But Holland sunk a 3-pointer off the dribble at the buzzer for an 83-76 edge.
The Pistons got some separation in the fourth, building a 93-82 lead after a Robinson 3-pointer, followed by a floater through contact.
An 11-0 Cavaliers run, led by Harden, tied the game at 93 with 5:28 to go, setting up a surgical finish to the game by Cunningham and Duren to secure the win for the Pistons.
The Pistons had 31 points off 19 Cavs turnovers.
James Harden finished with 22 points and eight assists but with seven turnovers.
Donovan Mitchell had 23 points and Max Strus poured in 19 points off the bench.