Cavaliers 125-94 Pistons: Box Score, Stats & Recap (May 17)

Updated Oct 15, 2026, 6:25 PM ET

NBA Playoffs · Eastern conference semifinals

Cleveland CavaliersCavaliers

Playoffs 8-6 · Away

125–94

Final

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Cavaliers win series 4-3

Detroit PistonsPistons

Playoffs 7-7 · Home

Cavaliers vs Pistons final: the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 125-94 on May 17, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.

Score by Quarter

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	T
Cavaliers	31	33	35	26	125
Pistons	22	25	26	21	94

Top Performers

Cavaliers

Pistons

Cavaliers vs Pistons Box Score

Cleveland Cavaliers

Player	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3PT	FT	+/-
Jarrett Allen C	24	23	7	1	1	1	2	8-14	0-0	7-13	+9
Max Strus GF	27	9	3	2	3	0	0	3-7	1-5	2-2	+11
Evan Mobley F	35	21	12	6	2	2	2	7-10	1-4	6-11	+31
Donovan Mitchell G	31	26	6	8	1	1	0	10-22	2-6	4-6	+17
James Harden G	35	9	5	6	0	0	1	2-10	0-6	5-8	+31
Bench
Craig Porter G	4	2	2	1	0	0	0	1-2	0-0	0-0	+1
Sam Merrill G	25	23	1	2	1	0	2	7-10	5-8	4-4	+22
Thomas Bryant CF	4	0	4	1	0	0	1	0-4	0-2	0-0	+1
Dean Wade FC	20	5	6	1	0	0	0	2-2	1-1	0-0	+17
Keon Ellis G	4	3	0	0	0	0	1	1-1	1-1	0-0	+1
Dennis Schröder G	18	2	3	3	1	0	2	1-1	0-0	0-0	+12
Jaylon Tyson F	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-1	0-1	0-0	+1
NaeQwan Tomlin F	4	2	1	0	1	0	0	1-1	0-0	0-0	+1

Detroit Pistons

Player	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3PT	FT	+/-
Ausar Thompson GF	28	5	7	0	0	2	1	2-7	1-2	0-2	-14
Jalen Duren C	25	7	9	3	0	2	3	3-7	0-0	1-2	-18
Tobias Harris F	22	5	5	2	1	1	1	0-6	0-2	5-6	-23
Daniss Jenkins G	34	17	3	5	0	0	1	4-12	2-7	7-8	-15
Cade Cunningham G	36	13	4	5	2	0	3	5-16	0-7	3-3	-32
Bench
Chaz Lanier G	5	0	0	1	0	0	0	0-2	0-1	0-0	+4
Marcus Sasser G	22	9	2	1	1	0	0	3-12	3-9	0-0	-16
Tolu Smith FC	5	4	2	0	1	0	1	2-2	0-0	0-0	+4
Paul Reed F	8	4	4	1	0	0	0	2-5	0-0	0-0	-7
Ron Holland F	5	3	2	0	0	0	0	1-3	1-2	0-0	+4
Isaiah Stewart FC	6	3	0	0	0	0	0	1-1	0-0	1-1	-8
Duncan Robinson F	21	13	1	1	1	0	3	4-7	3-5	2-3	-20
Caris LeVert G	16	11	2	2	1	0	1	3-5	2-4	3-4	-14

Cavaliers vs Pistons Recap

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons by building a lead that grew in every quarter. The Cavaliers won the Eastern conference semifinals series 4-3.

Cleveland won each period, 31-22, 33-25, 35-26 and 26-21. The lead was 17 points at halftime, with the Cavaliers up 64-47. It reached 26 after three quarters at 99-73. Cleveland shot 43 of 85 from the field while the Pistons made 30 of 85.

Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and added 8 assists for the Cavaliers. Evan Mobley pulled down 12 rebounds. Daniss Jenkins led Detroit with 17 points and 5 assists, and Jalen Duren had 9 rebounds. The Cavaliers outrebounded the Pistons 50-41 and turned the ball over 11 times to Detroit's 14.

The number to know: 31 assists for Cleveland against 21 for Detroit, as the Cavaliers turned their shots into a lead the Pistons never cut.

Team Stats

Cavaliers	Stat	Pistons
43-85	Field Goals	30-85
50.6%	FG %	35.3%
11-34	3-Pointers	12-39
32.4%	3P %	30.8%
28-44	Free Throws	22-29
63.6%	FT %	75.9%
50	Rebounds	41
14	Off. Rebounds	10
31	Assists	21
10	Steals	7
4	Blocks	5
11	Turnovers	14
22	Fouls	31
35	Biggest Lead	1

Four Factors

Team	Effective FG%	Turnover %	Off. rebound %	FT rate (FTM/FGA)
Cavaliers	57.1%	9.5%	31.1%	0.329
Pistons	42.4%	12.5%	21.7%	0.259

Dean Oliver's four factors decide most games: shooting, turnovers, offensive rebounding and free throws. Better side highlighted.

Cavaliers vs Pistons Game Info

Date & time: Sunday, May 17, 20268:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT

TV: National TVLocal: Cavaliers Rock Entertainment Sports Network · Pistons WMYD TV20

Arena: Little Caesars ArenaDetroit

Season: 2025-26 NBA SeasonNBA Playoffs

Cavaliers vs Pistons Season Stats 2025-26

Cavaliers 82 GPPistons 82 GP

119.5#4

Points per game

117.8#8

115.4#15

Opponent points

109.6#3

48.2%#7

Field goal %

48.5%#3

36.0%#13

Three-point %

35.6%#17

77.6%#17

Free throw %

76.3%#25

44.4#11

Rebounds

45.6#7

28.3#8

Assists

27.8#10

8.5#14

Steals

10.4#1

5.0#11

Blocks

6.4#1

13.3#9

Turnovers

14.2#20

Regular-season averages; rank of 30 teams.

Recent Form & Head-to-Head

2025-26 season seriesSeries tied 2-2Playoffs: Pistons 3-3

That covers Cavaliers vs Pistons: score, leaders and box score above. Next: Cavaliers host the Wizards Oct 28; Pistons host the Hornets Oct 28.

Cavaliers vs Pistons FAQs

Who won Cavaliers vs Pistons on May 17, 2026?

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 125-94 on Sunday, May 17, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 26 points.

What are the Cavaliers and Pistons playoff records?

After this game the Cavaliers were 8-6 and the Pistons were 7-7 in the playoffs.

Who was the top scorer in Cavaliers vs Pistons?

Donovan Mitchell scored 26 for the Cavaliers. Daniss Jenkins scored 17 for the Pistons.

Who leads the Cavaliers vs Pistons season series?

The regular-season series is tied 2-2 this season. In the playoffs the Pistons won the series 3-3.

Who won the last Cavaliers vs Pistons game?

The Pistons beat the Cavaliers 115-94 on May 15, 2026 on the road.

Where was Cavaliers vs Pistons played?

At Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, the home arena of the Detroit Pistons.

What was the score by quarter in Cavaliers vs Pistons?

Cavaliers-Pistons: Q1 31-22, Q2 33-25, Q3 35-26, Q4 26-21.

What is next for the Cavaliers and Pistons?

Cavaliers host the Wizards on Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM ET; Pistons host the Hornets on Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM ET.