NBA: Cavaliers crush Pistons, advance to Eastern finals vs. Knicks

The Cleveland Cavaliers delivered a dominant performance on the road Sunday night, crushing the Detroit Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to advance to the NBA Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018.

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 26 points, while Jarrett Allen continued his strong postseason form with 23 points in another standout Game 7 performance. Sam Merrill added 23 points off the bench, and Evan Mobley recorded his first double-double of the series with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

The fourth-seeded Cavaliers will now face the third-seeded New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, with Game 1 set for Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Mitchell said the Cavaliers must avoid repeating the slow starts that hurt them earlier in the series.

“This is fantastic. I’m excited, believe me. But we’ve got to be more disciplined,” Mitchell said during a televised interview. He referenced Cleveland’s two losses in Detroit and a missed opportunity to close out the series at home in Game 6.

Cleveland took control early and never looked back, building a 20-point lead in the first half before extending the advantage to 26 points in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers dominated on both ends of the floor, shooting 50.6% from the field compared to Detroit’s 35.3%. Cleveland also controlled the boards, outrebounding the Pistons 50-41.

Allen scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half and praised Mitchell’s leadership after the game.

“He started the game trying to distribute the ball and get everybody else involved first,” Allen said. “That’s huge for a leader like him.”

Detroit struggled offensively throughout the game. All-Star guard Cade Cunningham finished with 13 points and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts, while Tobias Harris scored just five points and failed to make a field goal.

Daniss Jenkins led the Pistons with 17 points and five assists. Duncan Robinson added 13 points, while Caris LeVert scored 11. Jalen Duren grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

The Cavaliers have now won six straight Game 7 contests dating back to 2008.

Despite the disappointing finish, Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff said the team would use the loss as motivation moving forward.

“We’ll learn from it, and next year we’ll grow and be a better team,” Bickerstaff said after the game.

-Field Level Media/Reuters