Dennis Schröder has helped the Cleveland Cavaliers open the door to the NBA Conference Finals. The captain of the German national basketball team celebrated his team’s third straight victory with a 117-113 overtime win at the Detroit Pistons.
Cleveland, aiming for its first Conference Finals appearance since 2018, showed a strong finish in Game 5. With two minutes left in regulation, the team was still trailing by seven points (103-96) before turning it on and taking the lead thanks to a 13-0 run (including overtime).
In overtime, top star Donovan Mitchell (21 PTS)—who had been having a rather mixed game up to that point—emerged as the match-winner by first sinking a three-pointer and then following it up shortly afterward with a layup to seal the victory.
Prior to that, the Pistons had largely led the game and were ahead by as many as 15 points. MVP candidate Cade Cunningham was once again his team’s leading scorer (39 points, 7 assists, 9 rebounds). His teammates Tobias Harris (13 points, 6-for-19) and Jalen Duren (9 points, 5 rebounds), however, remained inconspicuous.
Schröder solid off the bench
DBB captain Schröder came off the bench as usual at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena. The point guard contributed five points and five assists in 17 minutes of playing time against his former club. The much-criticized James Harden scored 30 points as Cleveland’s top scorer. “It’s a great time for the first road win,” Harden told ESPN. The New York Knicks are already waiting as a potential opponent in the Conference Finals.
For Detroit, which had held a 2-0 lead just a few days ago, this marks the third consecutive loss. The Pistons, the top team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, had knocked the Orlando Magic—playing without the injured Franz Wagner—out of the competition in the first round. Now they must win Game 6 against Cleveland to force a potential Game 7.