Mitchell scores 26 and the
Cavaliers rout the Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 to reach the East finals
[May 18, 2026]
By BOB TRIPI
DETROIT (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Jarrett Allen and
Sam Merrill each added 23 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the
Detroit Pistons 125-94 on Sunday night in Game 7 to advance to the
Eastern Conference finals.
The fourth-seeded Cavaliers ousted the East's top seed and will face
the third-seeded New York Knicks. Game 1 of that series tips off
Tuesday in New York.
Evan Mobley had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who
advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2018 and
the ninth time in team history. It’s their deepest run since LeBron
James’ final season with the franchise.
“We didn’t just come here just to win a goal,” Mitchell said about
making the conference finals for the first time in his career.
“Even last year. when we lost to Indiana, we had our goals set on
getting to the (NBA) Finals. We’re just one step closer. It’s been
almost a decade of running into the same issue. ... As a team, we
can breathe a little bit, but the same token, we can only breathe
for about 12 hours, and then get right back to it.”
Daniss Jenkins scored 17 points, and Cade Cunningham and Duncan
Robinson each finished with 13 for the Pistons, who fell one win shy
of their first conference finals appearance since 2008 after forcing
the deciding game with a Game 6 victory Friday night.
“That game sucked,” said Cunningham, who was held 16 points under
his playoff average. “Being back home, wanted to get this win in
front of our fans. It reminded me of last year, losing on home
court. It's not a great feeling.”
The Cavs dictated the pace from the opening tip and never allowed
the Pistons to gain traction, then blew open a convincing Game 7
performance when Mitchell scored 15 in the third quarter.
Detroit was outscored in the paint 58-34 and made only 35.3% of its
field goal attempts, compared to Cleveland’s 50.6%
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Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) takes a shot against
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen during the first half of
Game 7 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Sunday, May
17, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
“When we play with force, it’s really a key. Like,
force on both ends with our talent, we’re really hard to beat,”
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The question we got to answer,
we talked about it a lot, is we can’t have force letdowns like Game
6, where we were not the forceful team. But tonight we were, that
was a whole difference, our force on both ends.”
Cleveland capitalized on cold shooting by the Pistons in the opening
quarter, turning missed shots into transition baskets while building
an early advantage. The Cavs led 31-22 going to the second, and
after Detroit had the first two baskets, Cleveland quickly seized
control with a 24-9 run. The Pistons’ offensive struggles only
deepened and the Cavs continued to shoot efficiently as they built a
commanding 64-47 lead into halftime.
The Cavs kept rolling in the second half and led by as much as 35
points. The closest the Pistons were able to get in the half was
within 17 in the third quarter.
“We knew that start was monumental, the start that they knew that we
were here, and that we were going to give them some problems,”
Atkinson said. “The beginning of the game, that was key, and then
coming out of halftime was the same message: ‘We got to win this
first five minutes to put them on their on their heels.’”
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