Pistons take control of the series with another brilliant performance by Cunningham

Detroit.— Led again by Cade Cunningham, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-97 and took a 2-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals.}

You may be interested in: Knicks defeat Sixers and take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semi-final

The star point guard signed a decisive performance with 25 points and 10 assists, guiding Detroit to a new home victory and bringing the team closer to its first Eastern final since 2008. The conference’s top-seeded Pistons showed strength in the decisive moments of the match, especially in the last quarter, when Cunningham scored 12 of his points to stop Cleveland’s reaction. For the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell led the offense with 31 points, while James Harden had another discreet night. The veteran guard finished with just 10 points, shot 3 of 13 from the field and committed four turnovers, accumulating 11 in the first two games of the series. One of those turnovers proved key in the outcome of the match. With Cleveland trying to close the score and 40 seconds remaining, Harden sought an individual play, but Ausar Thompson stole the ball and extinguished any hope of a comeback for the visitors. Detroit built a 14-point lead before the Cavaliers reacted, although Cunningham’s final push allowed the home team to regain control and secure the victory. The series now moves to Cleveland, where the Cavaliers will host the next two games, scheduled for Saturday and Monday. The team will need to significantly improve its performance if it wants to avoid being on the verge of another elimination in the conference semifinals. In the other semifinal of the day, the Los Angeles Lakers were trying to even their Western Conference series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the current NBA champions.