Cavaliers Vs Pistons: Pistons Win 122-119 in OT After Botched Foul and Blaring Horn
In a clash between two of the East's top teams, cavaliers vs pistons ended with the Detroit Pistons beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-119 in overtime after a botched intentional foul with less than 10 seconds left and a 12-minute delay when the scoreboard horn malfunctioned.
Cavaliers Vs Pistons: late foul sends game to overtime
Cleveland held a three-point lead with under 10 seconds remaining in regulation and opted to intentionally foul rather than risk a buzzer-beater. Jaylon Tyson bore down on Daniss Jenkins as Jenkins brought the ball up; Jenkins began his shooting motion at midcourt, drew a shooting foul and went to the line for three free throws. Jenkins made all three, sending the game to overtime, where Detroit prevailed 122-119.
Horn malfunction stalls the third quarter
The matchup featured an unusual interruption in the third quarter when the scoreboard horn malfunctioned and wouldn’t stop blaring, resulting in a 12-minute delay. Before the stoppage, the Pistons closed the period with an 85-84 lead, sparked by 10 points from Ausar Thompson.
Scoring swings and crucial late-regulation plays
Cleveland opened with a 35-27 first quarter advantage, paced by 10 points from Jarrett Allen. Detroit ground back and trailed only 54-50 at halftime. Early in the fourth, Detroit extended its lead to 89-84, but Cleveland tied the score on a 3 from Evan Mobley and a Tyrese Proctor layup. Two baskets by Thomas Bryant then put Cleveland up 93-89, and the Cavaliers pushed to a 98-91 edge midway through the quarter.
Cleveland led 105-96 with 3: 31 remaining, and Cade Cunningham fouled out with 1: 56 left. The Pistons chipped away, making it 110-109 on two Jalen Duran free throws with 48. 4 seconds to go. Dennis Schröder followed with a layup to give Cleveland a three-point lead. With 27. 7 seconds left, Detroit missed a potential tying 3, but Duren dunked an offensive rebound after Jenkins missed from long range. Detroit then fouled Craig Porter Jr. on the inbounds pass; he missed one of two free throws. Mobley grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and made one free throw to push Cleveland in front 114-111 before Tyson’s half-court foul on Jenkins set up the three free throws that tied the game.
Overtime sequence and statistics
In overtime Detroit went up by six behind four points from Duren. A 3 from Tyson and a layup by Dennis Schröder followed, and Tobias Harris hit a short jumper to give the Pistons a three-point lead with 26. 7 seconds remaining. Sam Merrill and Evan Mobley each missed 3-pointers that could have tied the game, and Detroit escaped with the win, 122-119.
Duren scored 33 for the Pistons, tying a career high, and added 16 rebounds and 3 blocks. Cade Cunningham finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists as Detroit improved to 44-14 and claimed the best record in the NBA. Cleveland fell to 37-24 despite 25 points from Jarrett Allen, 23 from Evan Mobley and 20 from Sam Merrill. Cleveland is 8. 5 games behind Detroit and holds the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
What’s next
Detroit faces the Orlando Magic on Sunday. The Cavaliers visit the Brooklyn Nets next, and the two teams meet again Tuesday in Cleveland.
