James Harden helped lead the Cavaliers to an overtime win in Game 5, finishing with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won a road playoff game and did so despite shaky shooting from Donovan Mitchell.
It’s hard to tell which one was more disbelieving, but both happened in the swing game of their semifinal series, and because of that, the Cavs can close out the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in Cleveland on Friday.
The Cavs, who won on the road for the first time in these playoffs, had most of the answers in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and in overtime. They were scrappy, determined, unbothered by their previous mistakes.
Meanwhile, it was a tough Game 5 loss by the Pistons. For much of the contest, they were in control and at home and playing solid defense and up nine with just under three minutes left in regulation.
The series has finally reached the stage of elimination. One more Pistons’ loss will create a Cavs-New York Knicks Eastern Conference Final. Or a Detroit victory creates a Game 7.
“You hope it propels us,” said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. “You hope it galvanizes us. You hope we carry it forward. This was a battle-tested win against a heck of a team, on the road.”
Here are the takeaways from the Cavs’ stirring Game 5 win:
1. Harden accepts the heavy role
He didn’t deliver a flawless game — those annoying turnovers returned again — yet James Harden was able to do what Mitchell couldn’t, and that was make important shots when necessary.
Even when he missed them, such as a free throw in the final seconds of OT, Harden grabbed the offensive rebound, ran a few more seconds off the clock, then returned to the line to shoot two more.
This has represented a series turnaround by Harden, and his third straight impactful performance after a sloppy first two games. He did plenty — score in isolation, beat a steady path to the free throw line (11-for-14), grab eight rebounds, get six assists and yes, suffer through six turnovers.
But he successfully covered for Mitchell, who missed seven of eight from 3-point range and when the final play of regulation was drawn up for him in a tie game, he was swatted by Ausar Thompson.
Well, fine. That’s why the Cavs thought Harden and Mitchell would work well together, which they have since the midseason trade. If one of them turned chilly, the other was qualified to assume the lead singer role.
Which is what happened in Game 5. Mitchell was arguably the best player in the series to this point and was just two nights removed from a 39-point second half in Game 4.
No worries; With 30 points and big plays, Harden to the rescue and the Cavs are now in control.
“Big reason we got him,” said Atkinson. “That’s what we expected, the maturity and the poise and calmness to our group, which we needed.”
2. Strus brings the juice
We’ll get to his 3-point shooting in a moment. But one of the better defensive plays in a game that featured several was executed by Max Strus. And it was an important moment in the Cavs’ late fourth-quarter rally.
Right after a Cavs shot with 2:40 left, the inbounds pass went to Cade Cunningham. He took a dribble, then was instantly hounded by Strus, who stripped the ball away and assisted on a Mitchell layup.
Strus had his hands full guarding Cunningham, which is understandable, but the Pistons labored to keep Strus in check, too. And for the most part, they failed, because Strus came off the bench and supplied the necessary long-distance shooting on a night when Mitchell could only make one from 3.
Strus shot 6-for-8 from deep, scored 20 points and played solidly in his 38 minutes, adding eight rebounds. And a key defensive play that helped decide the outcome.
3. Mobley is the (big) man
This series drops the spotlight on a pair of decorated big men, Evan Mobley and Jalen Duren. One of them has lost his powers and, as we saw Wednesday, his minutes down the stretch of a tight playoff game.
The other is Mobley.
Both started this series suspiciously slow. One snapped out of the funk. Mobley had one rebound in Game 2. He didn’t have his usual defensive touch through three games. But since then, Mobley has been this series’ best two-way player and this was emphasized in Game 5 once again.
He had 19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three blocks. In the fourth quarter stretch run, he hit a timely 3-pointer, dropped a poster dunk and hit free throws. The Cavs don’t win this game without this level of production from Mobley.
As for Duren, the long anticipated substitution finally happened when Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff swapped him for backup Paul Reed for much of the fourth quarter and all of overtime. It made for a sobering situation for Duren, who had a solid regular season and helped Detroit to the best record in the East.
Once again, though, Duren struggled: Nine points, five rebounds and stretches where he was missing in Game 5.
Reed made a solid block and kept alive another possession with a key offensive rebound, both in the fourth quarter.
4. Cavs feast on free throws again
There was a flashpoint in the final seconds of the fourth quarter when Thompson blocked Mitchell, then chased after the loose ball. There appeared to be contact with Jarrett Allen, but no whistle.
The Pistons howled in protest. Thompson would’ve gone to the free throw line in a tie game. Incidental contact? Or none?
He fouled Ausar,” said Bickerstaff. “It’s clear. He trips him when he’s going for a loose ball. End of game situation. That’s tough.”
Anyway, the Cavs won the free throw contest, and by a sizable margin, for the second straight game.
Both coaches have mentioned free throws, first by Atkinson following the first two games, both Cleveland losses, and lately by Bickerstaff. The Cavs have attempted 40 more free throws in the last two games, both Cleveland wins.
Everything is going Cleveland’s way, then, like the next stop in the series — in Cleveland on Friday for Game 6 (7 ET, Prime Video), where the Cavs are unbeaten in the playoffs.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
