Pistons 122-119 Cavaliers in OT on Feb. 27, 2026
Detroit's pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-119 in overtime on Feb. 27, 2026, an Eastern Conference showdown between two primary contenders that grew chippier as the night went on and included a 10-minute horn delay, fan ejections and a half-court shooting foul.
Pistons seize overtime win
The final score—122-119 in overtime—favored the Detroit Pistons, handing the Cleveland Cavaliers a narrow defeat after a tense finish on Feb. 27, 2026. The extra period settled a game that swung multiple times and featured physical play that escalated as the night progressed.
A chippy night, a long delay and a rare foul
The matchup grew chippy: officials dealt with fan ejections, and play was halted by a 10-minute horn delay. A half-court shooting foul stood out as an unusual call in a game that already had several atypical moments, and those interruptions shaped momentum late in the contest.
Cavs battled shorthanded
Cleveland entered shorthanded with a lengthy injury report that listed Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Dean Wade and Keon Ellis; Max Strus didn’t play either. This many key players being on the sideline could have resulted in a dull matchup, but the Cavs fought until the bitter end and started the game with authority, establishing themselves defensively early against Detroit.
Schroder, Mobley and Allen carried the load
Dennis Schroder raised the floor for Cleveland by running the pick-and-roll and keeping the Cavaliers’ bigs involved, but his usage came with costs: Schroder turned the ball over 8 times and shot 4-for-15. Evan Mobley, back from a calf injury, posted 23 points and hit 4-of-8 three-pointers; he threw down several impressive dunks, including two one-hand jams over Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, but couldn’t hit the game-tying shot at the buzzer. Jarrett Allen finished February strongly with 25 points and 9 rebounds on 10-of-12 shooting and fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
Role players and momentum swings
Craig Porter Jr. attacked the basket and found success dishing to Cleveland’s bigs, finishing with 12 assists in the game and 21 assists over his last two contests. Despite those contributions, the Cavaliers didn’t execute down the stretch, and Detroit closed out the overtime period to secure the win.
What comes next
The Cavaliers are now 37-24 and head to Brooklyn on Sunday. The team will travel with that record and the aftermath of a hotly contested Feb. 27, 2026 game that highlighted both their depth issues and the way role players have stepped up in recent outings.
