Pistons 122-119 Cavaliers in overtime as game devolves into a messy thriller

The pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-119 in overtime in a chippy Eastern Conference showdown that featured a 10-minute horn delay, fan ejections and a half-court shooting foul. The loss leaves Cleveland 37-24 as it heads to Brooklyn on Sunday.

Pistons win capped a night of delays, ejections and a rare half-court foul

The game grew progressively chippier as the night went on in what was billed as an Eastern Conference showdown between two primary contenders. Officials handled a 10-minute horn delay, multiple fan ejections and a half-court shooting foul before the contest was settled in overtime.

Cleveland arrived shorthanded with multiple notable absences

Cleveland entered the matchup shorthanded, the injury report described as lengthy. Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Dean Wade and Keon Ellis were all listed among the absences, and Max Strus didn’t play either. With so many key players on the sideline, the game could have been a dull matchup; instead, the Cavaliers fought until the bitter end.

Dennis Schroder carried ball-handling duties but struggled late

Dennis Schroder did heavy lifting for the Cavaliers, running the pick-and-roll throughout the night and making sure Cleveland’s bigs stayed involved. For most of the game he was the team’s only reliable ball handler, but Schroder also turned the ball over 8 times and shot 4-15.

Evan Mobley returned from a calf injury and provided highlight dunks

Evan Mobley had his best game since returning from a calf injury, finishing with 23 points and drilling 4-of-8 three-pointers. Mobley threw down several impressive dunks, including two separate one-hand jams over Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, but he couldn’t hit the game-tying shot at the buzzer.

Jarrett Allen and Craig Porter Jr. delivered strong box-score lines but Cleveland fell short

Jarrett Allen closed out a strong February with 25 points and 9 rebounds on 10-12 shooting, though he fouled out late in the fourth quarter. Craig Porter Jr. relentlessly attacked the basket, found success dishing to Cleveland’s bigs and finished with 12 assists by the end of the night; he has totaled 21 assists over his last two games. The Cavaliers simply didn’t execute down the stretch, and the loss to the pistons left them with the 37-24 mark as they head to Brooklyn on Sunday.