Pistons vs. Cavs final score, results: Cleveland cruises to Eastern Conference Finals with Game 7 blowout

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Cleveland’s biggest deficit tonight was one point, which occurred in the first quarter. That is telling.

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Despite being forced to travel on the road to face a Pistons team in front of their rowdy home crowd for a Game 7, the Cavaliers rose to the occasion to rout Detroit 125-94. Cleveland shot 50.6% from the field tonight, but their main route to victory came through playing as a team. They finished with a whopping 31 assists, all while Detroit finished the game with 30 field goals made.

While Cade Cunningham did keep his turnovers relatively low compared to his average, even he couldn’t carry the Pistons to victory with how well Cleveland played tonight. No one in Detroit finished above 18 points, and the team’s leading scorer was Daniss Jenkins with 17 points.

Cleveland will face the New York Knicks, who finished off their own second-round series a week ago and will play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a distinct advantage from a rest standpoint. With their Game 7 win, however, the Cavs head into the matchup with the adrenaline and momentum that comes with a winner-take-all victory.

The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Game 7 of the series between the Pistons and Cavaliers. See what you might have missed below.

Pistons vs. Cavs final score

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Pistons vs. Cavs updates, highlights from Game 7 of NBA playoffs

Final: Cavaliers 125-94 Pistons

10:48 p.m. — After 48 minutes of play, the Cavaliers emerged emphatically victorious in this Game 7. They stretch their Game 7 win streak to six straight Game 7s won.

Mitchell (26 PTS), Merrill (23 PTS), Allen (23 PTS), and Mobley (21 PTS) led all scorers tonight.

10:35 p.m. — A technical foul has been assigned to Max Strus, and a personal foul on Ausar Thompson after words were exchanged between the two.

114-81 with just under six minutes to go.

10:19 p.m. — The Cavs now lead 108-75 with just under three minutes gone in the fourth quarter.

One of the key stories in tonight’s game has been starter productivity. Cleveland’s starters have combined for 78 points thus far, compared to Detroit’s 38.

End of 3rd quarter: Cavaliers 99-73 Pistons

10:09 p.m. — The Cavs now stand just one quarter away from officially getting ready to travel to New York for their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2018, and match their biggest lead of the night by 26.

Donovan Mitchell leads all scorers with 26 points (10/18 FG), along with seven assists and five rebounds.

9:51 p.m. — Unfortunately for Pistons fans, things have not gotten better for their team. They trail 74-56 with just under seven minutes to go.

Cunningham is 5/13 from the field and 0/5 from 3P.

9:38 p.m. — The second half is underway in Detroit. Can the Pistons muster up a monumental second-half comeback, or are the Cavs already en route to New York?

Halftime: Cavaliers 64-47 Pistons

9:22 p.m. — After two quarters of basketball, the Cavaliers take a 17-point lead into the break.

Cleveland has more assists (18) than Detroit has field goals made (16).

9:13 p.m. — Detroit calls a timeout with just under three minutes to go until halftime.

The Cavs are now up 20, with a 55-35 lead. Cleveland is shooting 51.4% from the field, compared to Detroit’s 33.3%.

9:06 p.m. — With 5 minutes to go, Cleveland has still not lifted its foot off the pedal. They lead 50-33.

Sam Merrill is 4/6 from beyond the arc so far and is the game’s leading scorer.

8:53 p.m. — The Pistons have to be careful; they’re starting to fall out of it already, and their home crowd is noticing.

The Cavs lead 38-26 with 8 minutes to go in the second quarter.

End of 1st quarter: Cavaliers 31-22 Pistons

8:40 p.m. — With the first 12 minutes in the books, the Cavs take a nine-point lead into the second quarter.

Donovan Mitchell ends the quarter with a deep bankshot 3P to stretch his point total to six.

DONOVAN MITCHELL FROM NEAR HALF COURT!

WHAT A SHOT TO BEAT THE 1Q BUZZER 🤯

CAVS LEAD 31-22 AFTER 1! pic.twitter.com/QpUSb0Eoe5

— NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2026

8:28 p.m. — The Cavaliers call a timeout after the Pistons equalize at 13 apiece.

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Dean Wade has five points in just two minutes off the bench so far. For Detroit, Caris LeVert has checked in for Cade Cunningham.

8:21 p.m. — After the first six minutes, the Cavaliers narrowly lead 8-7 in a fast-paced game thus far. 

Jarrett Allen and Daniss Jenkins lead all scorers with six points.

8:15 p.m. — We are underway from the Little Caesars Arena! Cleveland controls the opening tip and gets the scoring started with a Donovan Mitchell-Evan Mobley alley-oop.

8:08 p.m. — With the National Anthem being sung at the moment, Game 7 is inching closer and closer to its beginning.

An Eastern Conference Finals spot against the New York Knicks is on the line tonight in Detroit.

7:57 p.m. — Here are the starters that each squad will roll out tonight:

Detroit Pistons

• Cade Cunningham, Daniss Jenkins, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren

Cleveland Cavaliers

• James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen

7:39 p.m. — Detroit’s towels feature big heads of the entire Pistons team. Expect to see a sea of white in the crowd with these towels.

Towels all over Detroit for the Cavs-Pistons Game 7 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XfIKkoWJ1t

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 17, 2026

7:26 p.m. — Here is a look at each team’s stats leaders heading into tonight’s Game 7:

7:11 p.m. — This year’s semifinals between the Pistons and Cavs have been a mirror image of their meeting in 2006 thus far. If the mirroring stands, Detroit may be in line to win tonight.

Cavs — Pistons series script is the same as 2006

Game 1 Pistons win
Game 2 Pistons win
Game 3 Cavs win
Game 4 Cavs win
Game 5 Cavs win
Game 6 Pistons win
Game 7 Pistons win ??? pic.twitter.com/Tu5gVNWQlZ

— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) May 17, 2026

6:44 p.m. — The players have begun walking into Little Caesars Arena. Pistons star Cade Cunningham is donning an all-black fit heading through the tunnel.

An all-black fit for Cade Cunningham 👀

Cunningham and the @DetroitPistons seek their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2008 at 8:00pm/et on Prime!

NBA Playoffs presented by @Google pic.twitter.com/mmGBT5uoDL

— NBA (@NBA) May 17, 2026

5:19 p.m. — While this series began with the home team winning each game, the last two games have been won by the team traveling on the road.

Does Cleveland stand a chance tonight, or will Detroit be the team to face off against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals?

GAME 7: TONIGHT on Prime 🍿

Game 1: PISTONS
Game 2: PISTONS
Game 3: CAVS
Game 4: CAVS
Game 5: CAVS
Game 6: PISTONS
GAME 7: ???

An Eastern Conference Finals appearance is on the line. CLE/DET WIN or GO HOME Game 7 tips at 8:00pm/et! Who will win? 🤔

NBA Playoffs presented by… pic.twitter.com/5QrFs4Zyzi

— NBA (@NBA) May 17, 2026

4:48 p.m. — Here is some history ahead of tonight’s Game 7 tipoff. Cleveland has won five straight Game 7s, spanning back to the 2016 Finals, while Detroit has never lost a Game 7 at home.

Game 7. Win or go home.

The @DetroitPistons and @cavs meet tonight in the 159th Game 7 in NBA history.

Detroit seeks its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2008, while Cleveland seeks its first since 2018.

8 PM ET on @NBAonPrime pic.twitter.com/5vheh8rmJ3

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 17, 2026

4:15 p.m. — While it remains to be seen whether or not the Cavs can win their sixth straight Game 7, one question that appears answered is James Harden’s contract situation. According to Brian Windhorst, Harden will be back in The Land on a multiyear deal following these playoffs.

James Harden is expected to sign a multiyear deal with the Cavs this summer, no matter how this playoff run unfolds, per @WindhorstESPN. pic.twitter.com/7l0PZGw1dG

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 17, 2026

3:40 p.m. — 25 buses are set to travel to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit tonight. Those buses will be packed to the brim with Cleveland Cavaliers season ticket holders, according to Nick Camino.

The Dan Gilbert cavalry gears up to roll out of #CLE. Destination Detroit for Game 7. The Cleveland invasion begins. #LetEmKnow @cavsdan pic.twitter.com/KYbwwXTXFR

— Chris Ronayne (@chrisronayne) May 17, 2026

Where to watch Pistons vs. Cavs in NBA playoffs

Pistons vs. Cavs Game 7 start time

• Date: Sunday, May 17
• Time: 8 p.m. ET

Game 7 between the Pistons and Cavaliers will tip off at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

What channel is Pistons vs. Cavs on today?

• TV Channel: N/A
• Live Stream: Prime Video

Game 7 will exclusively air on Amazon Prime Video. It will be Prime Video’s final NBA broadcast of the season, as ESPN/ABC will handle the Eastern Conference Finals this year while NBC will air the Western Conference Finals.

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Pistons vs. Cavs schedule 2026

The series is tied 3-3.