The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons are set to tip off their Eastern Conference semifinal series at Little Caesars Arena! I'll be live updating this page throughout the game. Please comment with your thoughts throughout.

The Pistons will not have Kevin Huerter, who is dealing with an adductor injury.

Brandon Ingram is out for the Raptors.

Game 1 Starters:

Cavs - Harden, Mitchell, Wade, Mobley, Allen

Pistons - Cunningham, Robinson, Thompson, Harris, Duren

FIRST QUARTER

Couple of early offensive rebounds for Evan Mobley 90 seconds in. 

Ausar Thompson face guarding and top locking Donovan Mitchell from the jump.

Pistons getting into an offensive flow after some clunky possessions. 

Donovan Mitchell's got the downhill game going with seven points. Pistons getting stops otherwise. They're in a nice flow both in half-court and transition. Jarrett Allen's got two fouls already. Detroit up 15-9 halfway through the first.

Sam Merrill and Max Strus into the game now for Don and Ev. Kenny Atkinson trusting JA to play clean ball.

Welp, JA just picked up his third foul on a late call, the body vs. Jalen Duren. Big moment already.

Detroit's got a heck of a pace to it right now with the Cavs turning it over a bunch. Seven points off four miscues. Daniss Jenkins loves to play against this team.

Well, the Pistons are smacking up Cleveland to start this game. It's 30-14, and they've turned over the Cavs five times for 12 points. It's a 30-9 run in the last seven minutes.

Max Strus makes the Cavs' first field goal in what seems like forever. It was a three-ball off a Mobley dish. But Cleveland has not been able to make jump shots as a team, or get into the paint on drives.

Javonte Green nails a 28-footer over his old Cavs teammates Max Strus to cap the Pistons' 37-21 outburst in the first quarter.

END 1Q: Pistons 37, Cavs 21

CLE: Mitchell 9p, 2r. Mobley 5p, 4r, 2a, blk. Strus 3p, 2r. 

DET: Cunningham 10p, 1a. Jenkins 6p, 2stl, 1r, 1a. Harris 6p. Duren 4p, 3r. Thompson 1p, 5r, 3a.

SECOND QUARTER

Cavs start this quarter with Schroder, Harden, Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, and Thomas Bryant.

Easily Mitchell's most aggressive first half in over a week. He's keeping Cavs within distance. Pistons lead 39-28 a couple of minutes into the second.

Sam Merrill (left hamstring) questionable to return for Cavs vs. Pistons Game 1.

Keon Ellis in for Cavs. First time since Game 4 vs. Raptors.

Not Harden's finest start on either end, really.

Pistons hold a 49-35 lead with five minutes to go until halftime. Pistons collecting offensive boards and have seven second-chance points off six of 'em. Not the best shots in the last few possessions.

Strus just picked up his third foul bodying up Harris on the block. 

Ausar Thompson is legitimately an athletic attraction worth the price of admission.

The Ellis sub has worked wonders defensively, but Cleveland can't get anything to make Detroit pay -- in transition or in the half-court.

Cavs only trailing by 13 going into the locker room despite a very sloppy showing and sub-40% shooting performance in the first half.

Pistons scored 20 points off 12 Cleveland turnovers, with seven on the fastbreak. Thompson and Ron Holland bringing the grit. 

HALF: Pistons 59, Cavs 46

CLE: Mitchell 14p, 2r, 1a, stl. Harden 9p, 4r, 3a, blk. Mobley 8p, 7r, 2a, blk. Strus 6p, 2r, 1a.

DET: Cunningham 14p, 2a, stl. Harris 10p, 6r, 1a. Thompson 7p, 6r, 4a, blk, stl. Jenkins 6p, 3r, 2a, 2stl. Duren 5p, 5r. Robinson 6p, 1a. 

THIRD QUARTER

Four fouls on Duncan Robinson. 

Dean Wade with a left-corner three and a tip-in to start the second half. Cavs have it down to 65-55. Some better rim protection with JA and Mobley both out there. Been tough without Allen.

JA picks up his fourth. He comes out now with 7:24 left in the quarter.

Anytime the Cavs have established momentum, it's died with a James Harden dribble exhibition. ROUGH night so far. Pistons up 73-62 halfway through the third.

Cleveland goes on a 7-0 run over the last 90 seconds after Mitchell and Allen re-entered for Harden and Mobley. But really, it was Max Strus and Dennis Schroder getting downhill after stops on the other end. Cavs trim to 75-71.

Exciting close to the third quarter. Cavs had it down to a four-point game after Tyson's defense on Cunningham and outlet to Strus for a dunk, but Ron Holland just nailed a 30-footer. Second buzzer-beating trey for the Pistons tonight. It's 83-76 Detroit.

The Pistons have a 27-9 free-throw attempt advantage in this one, too, which makes sense.

END 3Q: Pistons 83, Cavs 76

CLE: Strus 16p, 4r, 2a, stl. Mobley 14p, 7r, 4a, 2blk. Mitchell 17p, 2r, 1a, stl. Harden 9p, 7a, 5r, blk, stl.

DET: Cunningham 21p, 3a, 2stl. Harris 14p, 6r, 2a, stl. Thompson 11p, 8r, 5a, blk, stl. Robinson 12p, 2a, 2stl.

FOURTH QUARTER

Ellis back out there with Bryant to join Mitchell, Schroder, and Mobley.

Duncan Robinson is balling, inside and out. Cavs are hard closing and he is finding the gaps to get to the paint. 

Harden back in for Schroder at the 9:32 mark. Wade waiting to come back in, too. 

Cavs getting the offensive boards up this quarter. Second and third chances. Harden got to the line on a cut then took advantage with a floater. Pistons up 93-88 with 6:32 remaining.

Cade Cunningham isn't having the sexiest statistical game, but his reads tonight have been beautiful, and he's defending very well. Nice find to Jalen Duren there after driving on Max Strus and forcing Jarrett Allen to protect. Pistons lead 97-93 with 4:13 remaining in regulation.

Harden's got to the float game all quarter long. It's much better than the isolation for 20 seconds version of himself. It's also a better way to take care of the ball.

Ironically, a pass by Harden trying to get the ball to a cutter gets stolen on the baseline. Cavs are on their way to dropping Game 1. They were catch-up the whole time, and it caught up to them. Big plays from Tobias Harris and Daniss Jenkins down the stretch.