Darius Garland’s deep three-pointer at the buzzer secured the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-10) a dramatic 118-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons (25-26) on Wednesday night.
Cleveland played without All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who missed the game with a shoulder contusion, but Evan Mobley and Garland combined for 55 points to lead the Cavaliers past a late surge from Detroit.
Cade Cunningham erupted for 38 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, including a flurry of nine points in the final 11 seconds to erase a late Cleveland lead.
With 16 seconds left, Cunningham’s three-pointer made it a one-possession game at 112-109, but Garland responded with a free throw to push the lead back to four.
Cunningham then converted three free throws with 7.3 seconds left after being fouled on a three-point attempt, cutting the deficit to one.
Garland hit two free throws to make it 115-112, but Cleveland fouled Cunningham again on a three-point attempt, allowing him to tie the game with five seconds remaining.
On the final play, Garland rushed down the court and launched a 31-foot shot from just inside the logo, sinking the game-winner as time expired.
Mobley led the Cavaliers with 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting, adding nine rebounds and seven assists. Garland contributed 25 points and five assists while hitting four three-pointers, including the decisive shot. Craig Porter Jr. added 16 points off the bench, and Max Strus chipped in 15 with three triples.
Detroit’s Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 points while hitting six of 11 attempts from deep, but the Pistons shot just 39.8% from the field as a team. Jalen Duren recorded eight points and 10 rebounds, while Ausar Thompson finished with 12 points and eight boards.
The Cavaliers controlled the game early, leading 65-56 at halftime behind Mobley’s 20 first-half points on 7-of-10 shooting. Detroit trimmed the deficit to 86-83 entering the fourth quarter, setting up the back-and-forth finish.
Cleveland outrebounded the Pistons 46-45 and held a 42.1% shooting percentage from beyond the arc, compared to Detroit’s 32.4%.
