Javonte Green hits buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end 37-point first quarter for the Pistons, up 16 over Cavs

Duren hits a… jumpshot, but Strus hits his first 3 of the night before fouling Cunningham on the next inbound. It’s Strus’ second and Cunningham makes both free throws, then former Piston Dennis Schröder is fouled by Jenkins and he makes both free throws.

Javonte Green lets it fly with seconds remaining and he hits it! It’s the Pistons’ fourth three made in the first quarter and they now take a 16-point lead.

Pistons put on 15-5 run, take 30-14 lead over Cavs thanks to Jenkins’ eight straight points off the bench

Harden gets his first points off a driving layup, then Duren is fouled by Allen. It’s Allen’s third foul already as he’s subbed out, with Duren going 2-for-2 from the line. Daniss Jenkins gets a clean steal on Sam Merrill for a fastbreak layup, then he hits a pull up jumper for four quick points off the bench.

Mobley hits a 3 to end the scoring run for the Pistons, but then Max Strus travels for the Cavs’ third turnover already. Jenkins is fouled and hits both free throws, then after a Mitchell missed 3, Jenkins hits another shot as he’s on a 8-0 scoring run of his own! Cunningham checks in and immediately hits a 3-pointer, then Isaiah Stewart hits a layup as the Cavs need another timeout with 2:45 left in the first quarter.

Harris begins with six early points, Pistons take 15-9 lead early in Game 1 vs. Cavs

Cavaliers win the tipoff, as Evan Mobley grabs his own miss and slams it down for the first bucket tonight. Donovan Mitchell drains an open 3-pointer, then Tobias Harris draws the shooting foul on James Harden and makes both free throws for Detroit’s first points. After a Cavs turnover, Cade Cunningham drills the 3 to tie the game, but Mitchell answers with a nice floater.

Dean Wade fouls Ausar Thompson on a jumper, but Thompson goes 1-for-2 on this free throws. Joining the 3-point party is Duncan Robinson, who hits his first attempted triple. Mobley sends Jalen Duren’s shot back, but Harris gets the rebound and attacks the bucket for a foul. It’s Allen’s second foul already and Harris makes both free throws again.

Mitchell hits another floater, but Cunningham steps back and hits a jumper, then a turnover by the Cavs leads to Robinson lobbing it up to Harris for a layup! The Cavs call their first timeout tonight with 6:41 left in this opening quarter.

Starting Lineups

Starters for the Pistons stay the same as their first round series: PG Cade Cunningham, SG Duncan Robinson, SF Ausar Thompson, PF Tobias Harris, C Jalen Duren

Here’s the starters for the Cavs: PG James Harden, SG Donovan Mitchell, SF Dean Wade, PF Evan Mobley, C Jarrett Allen

Preview

The NBA playoffs continue as the Detroit Pistons start their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

Both teams are coming off grueling first rounds that took all seven games to decide a winner. The Pistons completed their 3-1 series comeback on Sunday with a Game 7 victory over the Orlando Magic, winning their first playoff series since 2008. The Cavs defeated the Raptors later that day to advance to the second round for the third straight season.

There’s a lot of history between these two division rivals. Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who just signed an extension after their first-round series win, was the Cavs head coach from 2020-2024. These two teams have met in four previous postseasons, including three times in the late 2000s, but the past two meetings ended in Detroit getting swept out of the playoffs in 2009 and 2016.

Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Kameron Goodwill.

Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers schedule

BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES

Game 1: Tuesday, at Detroit, 7 p.m. (NBCSN/Peacock)

Game 2: Thursday, at Detroit, 7 p.m. (Amazon Prime)

Game 3: Saturday, at Cleveland, 3 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

Game 4: Monday, May 11, at Cleveland, 8 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

*Game 5: Wednesday, May 13, at Detroit, TBD (TBD)

*Game 6: Friday, May 15, at Cleveland, TBD (TBD)

*Game 7: Sunday, May 17, at Detroit, TBD (TBD)

*If necessary

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA Playoffs, Game 1: Live updates