Evan Mobley’s clutch scoring and Max Strus’s perimeter prowess fueled a gritty comeback in Detroit, moving the Cavs one win away from a resilient series win.
The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame their road woes, defeating the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in Game 5 at Little Caesars Arena. Spencer German and Spencer Davies break it down in a new edition of Courtside with Cavs.
For the first time since April 6, the Cleveland Cavaliers won a road game and defeated the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena 117-113 in Game 5. It took overtime to get the job done, as the Wine and Gold showed late-game resiliency by rallying from nine down with 3:57 left in regulation and coming out on top in the extra period.
The Cavs now have the opportunity to close the series at home with three straight victories, putting their mental toughness on display and bringing their force consistently since trailing two games to none.
Spencer German and Spencer Davies analyze the admirable effort and praise the contributions of key players in the latest episode of Courtside with Cavs.
Topics of the latest show include the following:
- With the Pistons rolling and leading, Cleveland turned to Evan Mobley as a scorer. He had seven points from 1:58 to the 45-second mark. It started with a two-hand slam on a save by Donovan Mitchell, then it continued with a clutch three at the top of the perimeter over a contesting Tobias Harris. He knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game at 103, putting his team in a great position.
- Before Mobley's buckets, Max Strus knocked down a 28-foot triple from the right wing on a pass from James Harden. It was his sixth of the night on eight attempts. All of them were paramount, as the Cavs coughed up the ball 10 times for 20 points in the first half. Without Strus' sniping, the hole would've been much larger than eight points at half. He also came up with a massive steal in overtime as the group pulled away.
- James Harden continued his off-ball success, capitalizing on catch-and-shoot threes and playmaking from the top of the floor. He was able to get downhill and make timely jumpers when Cleveland needed it most. Harden drew multiple shooting fouls and played at the level of physicality the team needed him to, getting to the free-throw line with 14 tries.
- Unable to get downhill with Detroit's interior walled off, Donovan Mitchell did not have the greatest follow-up to his historic Game 4 at home, but he found a way to produce down the stretch. He had a huge save-assist to Mobley in the final two minutes, knocked down a right-corner triple, and converted a high-glass floater on the baseline in overtime.
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