Starting 5: Cavs go up 3-2 after furious rally

Harden after halftime, Spida in OT.

A 23-10 closeout earned the Cavs their first road win of these Playoffs, and a chance to advance at home.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Road Rally: Harden handled the comeback, Spida starred late and the Cavs’ first road win has them up 3-2

Closers & Co: How Evan Mobley, Max Strus and the Cavs’ cast stepped up to steal Game 5

Fearless Spurs: Wemby & San Antonio rising under Playoff pressure, eye West Finals

Wolves’ Fire: Edwards, veteran Wolves ready for another elimination duel

Eagles Eyes: NBA.com’s Jeff Zillgitt on the wit and expertise of Playoff voices Ian & Noah Eagle

BUT FIRST … ⏰

After no games tonight, Friday delivers a Prime doubleheader with two Game 6s, as the Cavs and Spurs (both up 3-2) look to advance to their respective Conference Finals.

• Pistons at Cavaliers (7 ET, Prime)
• Spurs at Wolves (9:30 ET, Prime)

In the meantime, NBA TV’s coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft Combine continues today from Chicago, beginning at 2 ET with live scrimmages. AWS Draft Combine Hub

1. CAVS’ RALLY FORCES OT, GIVES THEM 3-2 LEAD HEADED HOME

Three minutes left.

Detroit up nine.

Staring down a 3-2 series deficit late Wednesday night, the Cavs had one more run left in them.

James Harden (27 pts at that point) had been in his bag all night. Donovan Mitchell, with 12 pts at that point, was ready to pop.

Five minutes of overtime later, Cleveland heads home up 3-2.

Cavaliers 117, Pistons 113 (OT): Harden (30 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) got busy offensively and Mitchell (21 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast) strung together buckets late as the East’s No. 4 seed moved within one win of its first East Finals berth since 2018.

Cade Cunningham finished with a game-high 39 points, one game after recording 19 in Game 4. | Recap

• Cleveland Catchup: Mitchell sank the Cavs’ first bucket inside 3 minutes to go before Evan Mobley (19 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast, 3 blk) scored seven straight points to force a 103-103 tie and overtime
• Rolling On The Road: The run didn’t stop there, as Cleveland carried a 23-10 takeover into OT. Mitchell scored 7 in OT, where the Cavs hit the first four field goals and led by as many as 7
• Finishing Strong: In earning its first road W of these Playoffs, Cleveland is just the 4th team in the last 11 postseasons to win despite trailing by 9 or more in the last 3 minutes of regulation
• “That was a battle-tested win,” Kenny Atkinson said of the Cavs’ resilience. “I think you build mental toughness with games like this.”

Harden scored 17 of his 30 after halftime, getting to the line six times in OT and controlling the pace with poise in his 185th career postseason game.

• Beard’s Milestone: Harden notched his first game this postseason with 30 or more points, marking the 50th such performance of his illustrious career
• Elite Company: He owns the 4th-most outings with 30-plus points since his Playoff debut in 2012, trailing LeBron James (83), Kevin Durant (69) and Stephen Curry (60)
• “He never waivers,” Atkinson said on Harden’s performance. “He’s seen so much, been through so many of these series. He’s a heck of a leader.”

History looks kindly upon the Cavaliers’ situation: they’re 9-1 all-time when winning Game 5 of a 2-2 series, with the only defeat coming in 2006 against … the Pistons.

Now with a first road victory under their belt, the Cavs return to Rocket Arena on Friday for Game 6 (7 ET, Prime), where they’re 6-0 this postseason.

2. CAVS’ CAST: STRUS, MOBLEY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN GAME 5

James Harden down the stretch. Donovan Mitchell in overtime.

Just like in Games 3 and 4, and just like they drew it up at the trade deadline, Cleveland’s superstars shined in Wednesday’s win.

But the Cavs’ other three on the floor in crunch time came up with winning plays that lifted the team into position to finish this series at home.

• The Slam, The Spark: In the 3rd, a Jarrett Allen (16 pts, 10 reb) alley-oop sparked a 9-2 Cavs run to erase Detroit’s largest lead (15 pts)
• Mobley Momentum: Evan Mobley (19 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) attacked the Pistons’ frontcourt after that, netting the Cavs’ final 5 points in the 3rd to push their lead to 84-80, and the final 7 of the 4th to force OT
• “I thought they were incredibly aggressive on both ends of the floor,” Robin Lopez shared on NBA TV’s “The Association” of Cleveland’s big-man duo 
  
• Max Effort: After a Mitchell 3 to go up two possessions midway through OT, Max Strus (20 pts, 8 reb, 6 3s) stripped Cade Cunningham and hit Spida for 5 quick points in 10 seconds, and Cleveland’s largest lead, 112-105

Cleveland stayed with Allen, Mobley and Strus when it mattered most, with the trio playing all but 26 seconds of overtime.

• Scoring Support: The three combined for 16 of Cleveland’s 32 3rd-quarter points to retake the lead, and 10 of the team’s 19 points in the 4th to force OT
• Running Mate: Mobley matched Spida’s 9 points in the Cavs’ 23-10 run that closed out the 4th and won overtime, while helping hold Detroit to 4-of-17 shooting
• Game of Margins: Outside of shooting percentages, Cleveland’s sole advantages came in defensive rebounds (31-25) and bench points (31-27). Mobley (7) and Strus (6) led in rebounds, and Strus had 20 of the 31 bench points

When asked for a play or player that stood out in the comeback win, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t need to wait for the end of the question:

“Max Strus’s steal … that just came out of nowhere … the crowd, like, gasped. Huge play. He made so many winning plays tonight, but that was the big one.”

• “Resiliency. Grit. It took everything we had,” said Strus, who splashed a Playoff career-high six 3s. “Possession by possession, wearing them down, and finding ways to win.”
• “Big shoutout to Max Strus and Evan Mobley,” Mitchell told the “Inside The NBA” crew. “We’re not in this position without those two guys doing what they did at the end of the game.” The locker room agreed

3. FRIDAY ON PRIME: WEMBY & YOUNG SPURS EYE WEST FINALS BERTH

Playoff basketball forces young teams to grow.

Every possession gets more physical. Every mistake gets magnified. Every response reveals something new about who a contender really is.

On Friday (9:30 ET, Prime), the Spurs head to Minnesota up 3-2 and are one win from their first West Finals berth since 2017, all while Victor Wembanyama and company continue to learn those lessons in real time.

As former NBA player C.J. Miles writes, that growth has become part of the story behind San Antonio’s Playoff push:

That’s a reason why this Spurs team looks so fearless.

Young, yes. Inexperienced, yes. Scared? No.

They’re reminding everyone that you don’t have to force expansion. The game will reveal the next layer when it’s time. And that’s the beauty of watching Wemby evolve.

Every NBA player carries their own question and the game answers it, especially in the Playoffs. This is when we can see how they develop and sharpen their games in real time. | Read More

4. BACKS AGAINST THE WALL AGAIN, CAN WOLVES KEEP SEASON ALIVE?

Pressure has become part of Minnesota’s Playoff DNA.

The bigger the moment, the more comfortable the Wolves seem to get.

It’s why Anthony Edwards didn’t flinch just minutes after Minnesota’s 126-97 loss in Game 5 put it in a 3-2 hole.

• “I don’t see nobody in the locker room that’s too worried,” said Edwards of facing elimination. “You come out, put your boots on, and get ready to go to war.”

Nobody embodies Minnesota’s confidence in these moments more than Edwards, who’s built a reputation for delivering when the pressure peaks.

But the Wolves’ composure in these moments didn’t appear overnight – it’s been forged through two straight postseasons battling through the West’s best.

• Same Spot: After knocking off Kevin Durant’s Suns in the First Round of 2024, the Wolves faced a 3-2 hole against Nikola Jokić and the defending champion Nuggets in the West Semis
• First Breakthrough: Minnesota answered with a Game 6 win at home, then stormed back in Game 7 in Denver to reach its first West Finals in 20 years
• Another Gauntlet: In 2025, Edwards led the Wolves past LeBron James’ Lakers and the Warriors to return to the West Finals, where they fell to the eventual champion Thunder

Now comes another test: beating Wemby’s Spurs for a fifth time this season – something no other team has managed even four times – to force a Game 7.

And while Edwards has shined in elimination games – averaging 26.5 points, 7 boards and 5.6 assists across eight career outings – another dynamic Wolves player could be the key to extending Minnesota’s season:

Jaden McDaniels.

• Defense Wins: In its six Playoff wins, Minnesota has held its opponents to 42.3% shooting and 28.9% from 3
• The Difference: In its five Playoff losses, Minnesota’s opponents have shot 49.8% from the field and 35.5% from deep
• Deep Impact: That includes a 37.5% 3-point mark from San Antonio in its three wins over Minny, in which the Spurs outscored the Wolves 117-96 from beyond the arc

Enter McDaniels, the Wolves’ primary perimeter stopper.

With him on the floor this series, Minnesota owns a 109.9 DefRtg. With him off it, that number spikes to 122.4 – 12.5 points worse – while the Wolves’ net rating drops to -20.7.

That impact showed in Game 5, when McDaniels played just five 3rd-quarter minutes because of foul trouble. With him on the bench, the Spurs closed the frame on a 25-12 run – and never looked back.

• “Everything starts with Jaden McDaniels, trying to keep him out of foul trouble,” said Edwards after Game 5
• “He’s so important to the team … if we can do that, we give ourselves a great chance to win the ballgame.”

5. FATHER TO SON: IAN AND NOAH EAGLE MAKE THEIR MARK ON NBA PLAYOFFS

LeBron to Bronny James wasn’t the only father-son first of this NBA Playoffs.

Fittingly, on the call for the league’s first postseason father-son assist was Ian Eagle, a long-time NBA voice who’s working his first Playoffs for Prime Video – and first opposite his son, Noah, on the national stage.

Ian and Noah Eagle bring plenty of fun into their well-informed broadcasts, as one NBA legend can attest:

Grant Hill is in a unique position. During the NCAA men’s basketball season, he is an analyst with Bill Raftery while Ian Eagle handles play-by-play. During the NBA games, Hill fills the same role alongside Noah on NBC/Peacock.

“… I don’t even know how he does it, how either one of them does it, because they do a lot. The depth, the information, the research – that is crucial to their success.

“You can certainly talk about the wit, the humor, the understanding of pop culture and their ability to weave that into the broadcast. But the technical part of the craft, they’re just very disciplined in terms of calling the game and being prepared for anything and everything.” | Read More from NBA.com’s Jeff Zillgitt

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